JLPT N4 Words: The Full List and Study Tips

2026/07/13

JLPT N4 words are where Japanese starts to feel like a real language.

This guide answers the two questions every candidate asks: how many words you need, and where to find them.

You will get the full N4 words list as a free PDF and a realistic plan to learn it all.

How Many Words Do You Need to Know for JLPT N4?

You need around 1,500 words to pass the JLPT N4.

This JLPT N4 vocabulary count is cumulative: it includes the ~800 words from N5 and about 700 new N4 words.

N5 vocabulary lets you introduce yourself and order food. JLPT N4 words cover feelings, abstract nouns, and workplace situations.

If you are still deciding which level to take, this JLPT N5 vs N4 comparison breaks down the full gap.

And vocabulary is only one pillar: N4 also expects around 300 kanji, covered in our JLPT N4 kanji list, and about 100 new patterns from our JLPT N4 grammar list.

JLPT N4 Vocabulary Requirement: What the Test Officially Expects

There is no official JLPT N4 vocabulary requirement. Since the 2010 revision, the Japan Foundation no longer publishes vocabulary lists, because the JLPT is designed to measure communication. 

Every list available today is an estimate based on the pre-2010 Test Content Specifications and past exams. These estimates are reliable: the 1,500-word benchmark has held steady for years. In practice, master 1,200 to 1,300 words thoroughly and let reading and listening practice cover the rest.

JLPT N4 Word List (Free PDF Download)

This JLPT N4 word list covers the roughly 680 words specific to the N4 level. The tables below give you a preview by category, so you can see exactly what the level looks like. The complete list is in the free JLPT N4 word list PDF at the end of this section.

Everyday verbs

Kanji	Reading	Meaning
思う	omou	to think
送る	okuru	to send
決める	kimeru	to decide
慣れる	nareru	to get used to
間に合う	maniau	to be in time for
手伝う	tetsudau	to help
調べる	shiraberu	to investigate, to check
続ける	tsuzukeru	to continue
思い出す	omoidasu	to remember
間違える	machigaeru	to make a mistake

Transitive and intransitive verb pairs 

Transitive	Intransitive	Meaning
開ける (akeru)	開く (aku)	to open
壊す (kowasu)	壊れる (kowareru)	to break
決める (kimeru)	決まる (kimaru)	to decide
変える (kaeru)	変わる (kawaru)	to change
集める (atsumeru)	集まる (atsumaru)	to gather
直す (naosu)	直る (naoru)	to fix

Adjectives for feelings and qualities

Kanji	Reading	Meaning
嬉しい	ureshii	happy, glad
悲しい	kanashii	sad
恥ずかしい	hazukashii	embarrassed
珍しい	mezurashii	rare, unusual
厳しい	kibishii	strict
優しい	yasashii	kind, gentle
複雑	fukuzatsu	complicated
必要	hitsuyou	necessary

Nouns for work and society

Kanji	Reading	Meaning
会議	kaigi	meeting
経験	keiken	experience
理由	riyuu	reason
説明	setsumei	explanation
連絡	renraku	contact
準備	junbi	preparation
約束	yakusoku	promise, appointment
機会	kikai	opportunity
意見	iken	opinion

Adverbs, expressions and katakana words

Word	Reading	Meaning
必ず	kanarazu	without fail, always
たまに	tama ni	occasionally
やっと	yatto	at last
はっきり	hakkiri	clearly
例えば	tatoeba	for example
アルバイト	arubaito	part-time job
プレゼント	purezento	present, gift
エスカレーター	esukareetaa	escalator

For a complete preparation pack that goes beyond vocabulary, you can also grab our free JLPT N4 Mastery Kit.

How Long Does It Take to Learn 1,500 Words?

It takes 3 to 6 months to learn 1,500 words with consistent study after passing N5. That corresponds to 300 to 400 hours of total N4 preparation, or 30 to 45 minutes of vocabulary work per day.

The good news: only about 700 of those words are new. If your N5 base is solid, you are halfway there before you start. Keep reviewing N5 words while adding JLPT N4 words, because the exam assumes full mastery of the previous level.

Start your learning with one of the 15 best textbooks for JLPT N4 that gives you structured content to apply each batch of words.

How Many Japanese Words Should You Learn a Day?

Learn 10 to 20 new Japanese words a day. At 10 words a day, you cover the 700 new JLPT N4 words in about two and a half months. At 15 to 20, you finish in five to seven weeks, leaving more review time before the exam.

Words inside sentences stick far better than isolated flashcards. These JLPT N4 reading exercises let you meet your new vocabulary in real passages.

Comprehensive Vocabulary Courses for JLPT N4

Comprehensive vocabulary courses for JLPT N4 solve the problem that word lists cannot: turning passive recognition into active use. 

Nihongo Online School’s N5-to-N4 program follows Minna no Nihongo Shokyū 2, covering lessons 26 to 50. Each lesson anchors new JLPT N4 words in practical can-do situations: explaining why you are late, asking for advice, making a polite request, or conveying someone else’s message. You progress from concrete daily scenarios to more abstract ones, exactly the shift the N4 exam tests.

The format is fully personalized. Lessons are one-on-one with a professional teacher, assignments reinforce each session, and the pace adapts to your schedule and goals. Because everything is built around conversation, the vocabulary you learn feeds all four skills at once: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.