JLPT N4 Grammar List & Tips

2024/09/05

Struggling with JLPT N4 grammar? This guide is your roadmap to success. We provide a complete list of N4 grammar points, effective study strategies, and top textbook recommendations.

Whether you’re confused about specific structures or unsure how to approach your studies, you’ll find clear, practical guidance here. Master JLPT N4 grammar with confidence using our comprehensive resource tailored for learners just like you.

JLPT N4 Grammar List

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
1	あまり～ない	amari~nai	not very, not much
2	あとで	ato de	after, later
3	ば	ba	if… then
4	場合は	baai wa	in the event of
5	ばかり	bakari	only, nothing but
6	だけで	dake de	just by
7	だす	dasu	to suddenly begin, to suddenly appear
8	でも	demo	or something
9	でございます	de gozaimasu	to be (honorific)
10	がる	garu	to show signs of, to feel, to think
11	がする	ga suru	smell, hear, taste
12	ごろ	goro	around, about
13	ございます	gozaimasu	to be, to exist (honorific)
14	はじめる	hajimeru	to start, to begin to
15	はずだ	hazu da	it must be, it should be
16	はずがない	hazu ga nai	cannot be
17	ひつよう	hitsuyou	need, necessary
18	ひつようがある	hitsuyou ga aru	it is necessary to
19	ほしい	hoshii	to want something, to be in need of
20	いらっしゃる	irassharu	to be, to come, to go

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
21	いたす	itasu	to do (honorific)
22	じゃないか	janai ka	isn’t it
23	かどうか	ka dou ka	whether or not
24	かい	kai	(turns a sentence into a yes/no question)
25	かもしれない	kamoshirenai	might, maybe
26	かな	kana	I wonder
27	かた	kata	how to
28	かしら	kashira	I wonder
29	こと	koto	Verb nominalizer
30	ことができる	koto ga dekiru	can, be able to
31	ことになる	koto ni naru	it has been decided that
32	ことにする	koto ni suru	to decide on
33	までに	made ni	by, by the time
34	みたい	mitai	like, similar to, resembling
35	みたいに/みたいな	mitai ni/mitai na	like, similar to
36	など	nado	such as, things like
37	ながら	nagara	while, during, as
38	ないで	naide	without doing, don’t
39	なければいけない/なければならない	nakereba ikenai/nakereba naranai	must do, have to do
40	なくてはいけない/なくてはならない	nakutewa ikenai/nakutewa naranai	must do, have to do

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
41	なくてもいい	nakute mo ii	don’t have to
42	なら	nara	if, in case, as for
43	なさい	nasai	command (order somebody to do something)
44	なさる	nasaru	to do (honorific)
45	にくい	nikui	difficult to, hard to
46	のなかで	no naka de	in, among
47	のに	noni	in order to
48	のに	noni	although, in spite of, even though
49	のように / のような	no you ni/no you na	like, similar to
50	お～ください	o~kudasai	please do (honorific)
51	お～になる	o~ni naru	to do (honorific)
52	おきに	oki ni	repeated at intervals, every
53	おわる	owaru	to finish, to end
54	られる	rareru	to be able to do something
55	られる	rareru	(passive voice)
56	らしい	rashii	seems like
57	さ	sa	(nominalizer for adjectives)
58	させる	saseru	to make/let somebody do something
59	させられる	saserareru	to be made to do something
60	し	shi	and

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
61	しか～ない	shika~nai	only, nothing but
62	そんなに	sonna ni	so, so much, like that
63	それでも	sore demo	but still, and yet
64	そうに/そうな	sou ni/sou na	seem, look like
65	そうだ	sou da	I heard that, it is said that
66	そうだ	sou da	look like, appear, seem
67	すぎる	sugiru	too much
68	たばかり	ta bakari	just did, something just happened
69	たがる	tagaru	to want to
70	たら	tara	if, after, when
71	たらどう	tara dou	why don’t you
72	たり～たり	tari~tari	do such things like
73	たところ	ta tokoro	just finished doing, was just doing
74	てあげる	te ageru	to do something for someone
75	てある	te aru	something is/has been done
76	てほしい	te hoshii	I need you to
77	ていく	te iku	to go on, to start
78	ているところ	teiru tokoro	in the process of doing
79	ていただけませんか	te itadakemasen ka	could you please
80	てくれる	te kureru	to do something for someone

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
81	てくる	te kuru	to come to, to become, to continue
82	てみる	te miru	to try to
83	ても	temo	even if, even though
84	てもらう	te morau	to get somebody to do something
85	ておく	te oku	to do something in advance
86	てしまう	te shimau	to do something by accident, to finish completely
87	てすみません	te sumimasen	I’m sorry for
88	てよかった	te yokatta	I’m glad that
89	と	to	if, when, and
90	ということ	to iu koto	(changes a sentence or phrase into a Noun)
91	とか～とか	toka ~ toka	among other things, such as
92	とき	toki	when, at the time
93	ところ	tokoro	about to, on the verge of
94	とおもう	to omou	I think, you think
95	つづける	tsuzukeru	to continue
96	やすい	yasui	easy to, likely to
97	より	yori	than
98	よていだ	yotei da	plan to, intend to
99	ようだ	you da	it seems that, it appears that, it looks like
100	ように/ような	you ni/you na	as, like, just like

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
101	ようになる	you ni naru	to reach the point that
102	ようにする	you ni suru	to try to, to make sure that
103	ようとおもう	you to omou	I think I will
104	ぜんぜん	zenzen	not at all
105	間	aida	while; during; between ~
106	間に	aida ni	while; during~ something happened
107	が必要	ga hitsuyou	need; necessary
108	意向形	ikou kei	volitional form​; let’s do ~
109	から作る	kara tsukuru	made from; made with
110	きっと	kitto	surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly
111	くする	ku suru	to make something ~
112	急に	kyuu ni	quickly; suddenly; unexpectedly ~
113	まま	mama	as it is; current state; without changing
114	または	matawa	both; or; otherwise​; choice between [A] or [B]
115	も	mo	as many as; as much as; up to; nearly ~
116	な	na	don’t ~ (order somebody to not do something)
117	なかなか～ない	nakanaka~nai	not easy to; struggling to; not able to ~
118	に気がつく	ni ki ga tsuku	to notice; to realize
119	に見える	ni mieru	to look; to seem; to appear
120	にする	ni suru	to make something ~

Index	Grammar	Reading	Meaning
121	のは〜だ	nowa~da	[A] is [B]; the reason for [A] is [B]
122	さっき	sakki	some time ago; just now
123	させてください	sasete kudasai	please let me do
124	さすが	sasuga	as one would expect; even ~
125	それに	sore ni	besides; in addition; also; moreover ~
126	他動詞 & 自動詞	tadoushi & jidoushi	Transitive & Intransitive Verbs
127	たらいいですか	tara ii desu ka	what should I do?
128	て / で	te / de	conjunctive particle; so; because of [A], [B]…
129	ていた	te ita	was doing something (past continuous)
130	てやる	te yaru	to do for; to do a favor (casual)
131	と言ってもいい	to ittemo ii	you could say; one might say; I’d say ~
132	という	to iu	called; named; that ~
133	と言われている	to iwarete iru	it is said that ~
134	と聞いた	to kiita	I heard…
135	って	tte	named; called ~
136	受身形	ukemi kei	passive form; passive voice
137	は〜が… は	wa~ga… wa	[A] but [B]; however; comparison
138	やっと	yatto	at last; finally; barely; narrowly ~
139	ぜひ	zehi	by all means; certainly; definitely ~
140	づらい	zurai	difficult to do ~

Tips for Memorizing Japanese Grammar

Mastering JLPT N4 grammar doesn’t have to be a daunting task.

The key lies in approaching your studies strategically and immersing yourself in the language. Rather than trying to memorize grammar rules in isolation, focus on understanding how they’re used in real-life contexts. This approach will help you internalize the grammar patterns more naturally.

One effective method is to expose yourself to authentic Japanese content regularly. Dive into manga, tune into Japanese podcasts, or binge-watch some Japanese TV shows. By doing so, you’ll see grammar points in action, which can significantly enhance your understanding and retention.

As you encounter new grammar patterns, challenge yourself to use them in your own sentences. This active practice is crucial for cementing your knowledge. Don’t be afraid to seek feedback from native speakers or language exchange partners – their insights can be invaluable in refining your usage and understanding nuances.

When deciding what to study, prioritize the most frequently used grammar points. These will give you the biggest bang for your buck, allowing you to communicate more effectively sooner. As you progress, use spaced repetition techniques to review what you’ve learned. This method helps reinforce your memory over time, making sure you don’t forget what you’ve worked so hard to learn.

Books for Learning JLPT N4 Grammar

TRY! Japanese Language Proficiency Test N4 Revised Edition

This book is highly recommended for comprehensive grammar study, especially for first-time JLPT takers. It includes numerous practice problems and a full mock test, making it an excellent resource for exam preparation.

Minna no Nihongo Shokyu II Main Textbook – Second Edition

While not specifically designed for JLPT, this comprehensive textbook covers most N4 grammar points in context. It aims to develop all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The book focuses on practical conversations, progressing from simple to complex sentence patterns.

Nihongo So-Matome N4 Grammar

Part of the popular So-Matome series, this book breaks down grammar points into weekly study plans. It’s particularly useful for self-study and includes practice questions similar to those on the actual JLPT.

Remember, while these books are excellent resources, they should be used in conjunction with authentic Japanese materials for a well-rounded study approach. Combine textbook study with real-world language exposure for the best results in mastering JLPT N4 grammar.

We are also offering a Japanese Online Lesson for JLPT N4 Level.

Japanese Online Lesson 「JLPT N4 level」