JLPT N4 vocabulary, grammar and kanji

What the N4 courses hold

• 571 words
• 132 grammar points
• 167 kanji
• 870 lessons
• 13,351 lines of recorded Japanese
• 1,554 videos
• 17,715 quiz questions

Counted from the lessons themselves. The JLPT has published no official word or kanji lists since 2010; Manabiya follows the lists of JLPT Sensei.

N4 vocabulary

571 words in 36 units of up to sixteen. Every word has its own lesson: what it means, how it is written, the phrases it usually comes in, three example sentences read aloud, a scene to remember it by, and a quiz.

• あoh!; ah!
• 文学ぶんがくliterature
• 復習ふくしゅうreview; revision
• 返事へんじreply; response
• 田舎いなかcountryside; hometown
• 会議かいぎmeeting; conference
• 警察けいさつpolice
• コンサートconcert
• 興味きょうみinterest; curiosity
• 息子むすこson
• 踊りおどりdance
• 親おやparent; parents
• 騒ぐさわぐmake a fuss; make noise
• 生じるしょうじるarise; occur
• 数学すうがくmathematics
• 特にとくにespecially; particularly
• 移るうつるmove; transfer
• 全然ぜんぜんnot at all

N4 grammar

132 grammar points in 16 units grouped by meaning, so that patterns that are easy to confuse stand side by side. Each has a detailed lesson: how to form it, what it means, how it differs from its neighbours, the usual mistakes, example sentences with audio, a scene and a quiz of its own. Each unit ends with a page that compares its patterns.

1. Time: during, around, by, after, every 時と期間

   7 points, among them: 間 throughout; between · 間に sometime during · 頃 around; when · までに by; no later than

2. Stages of an action: about to, in the middle, just done, start and finish 動作の段階

   10 points, among them: ところ just about to do · ているところ in the middle of doing · たところ just this moment did · たばかり only just did

3. Conditions, concessions and the two のに 条件と逆接

   8 points, among them: ば if; provided that · と whenever; when · たら if; when; after · なら if that is the case

4. Obligation, advice and commands 義務・助言・命令

   8 points, among them: なければいけない must; have to · なければならない must; have to · 必要がある need to do · が必要 need something

5. Intentions, decisions and making things change 意志・決定・変化

   9 points, among them: 意向形 let's; I'll · ようと思う think of doing; intend to · 予定だ plan to; be scheduled · ことにする decide to

6. Verb forms: transitivity, potential, passive and causative 可能・受身・使役

   7 points, among them: 他動詞 & 自動詞 transitive & intransitive · られる can; potential form · ことができる can; be able to · 受身形 passive voice

7. Giving and receiving actions, and asking for them あげる・くれる・もらう

   7 points, among them: てあげる do something for someone · てやる do for; do with resolve · てくれる do something for me/us · てもらう receive someone's help

8. Te-form helpers: trying, preparing, finishing, going and coming て形の補助動詞

   8 points, among them: て / で and; so; because · てすみません sorry for · てよかった glad that · てみる try doing

9. Looks, likeness and hearsay 様子・たとえ・伝聞

   12 points, among them: そうだ looks; seems about to · そうに / そうな looking; seeming · そうだ I heard that · らしい apparently; it seems

10. Certainty, guesses and questions 推量と疑問

    10 points, among them: きっと surely; almost certainly · はずだ should be; expected to · はずがない cannot possibly be · かもしれない might; perhaps

11. Senses, other people's feelings, and easy or hard to do 感覚・気持ち・難易

    8 points, among them: がする sense a smell, sound or taste · に気がつく notice; realize · がる / がっている show signs of a feeling · がり a person prone to feeling

12. Honorific and humble speech 敬語

    7 points, among them: ございます exists, very politely · でございます to be, very politely · いらっしゃる be, come or go respectfully · なさる do respectfully

13. Degree and amount: only, as many as, not very, not at all 程度と数量

    7 points, among them: ばかり only; nothing but · だけで just by; with only · も as many as; as much as · あまり〜ない not very; not much

14. Examples, choices and comparison 例示・選択・比較

    7 points, among them: など such as; and so on · とか〜とか things like A and B · でも or something · または A or B

15. Thinking, naming and turning phrases into nouns 思考・名前・名詞化

    9 points, among them: と思う think that · と言ってもいい you could say · という called; the statement that · って called; named

16. Adverbs and connectors 副詞と接続詞

    8 points, among them: さっき just a moment ago · 急に suddenly; abruptly · やっと finally; only just · さすが as expected; impressive

N4 kanji

167 kanji in 9 units of twenty. Every kanji has its own lesson: its readings, the parts it is made of, a story to remember it by, a stroke-order animation, the words it is used in (861 in all at N4) and example sentences, all read aloud, and a quiz.

会同事自社発者地業方新場員立開手力問代明

• 会meet; meeting; society音 カイ、エ · 訓 あ(う)
• 言say; word音 ゲン、ゴン · 訓 い(う)、こと
• 心heart; mind; centre音 シン · 訓 こころ
• 運carry; transport; luck音 ウン · 訓 はこ(ぶ)
• 起get up; wake up; happen音 キ · 訓 お(きる)、お(こす)、お(こる)
• 帰return home音 キ · 訓 かえ(る)、かえ(す)
• 駅station音 エキ
• 漢China; Chinese; kanji音 カン

How you study N4 in Manabiya

Choose the N4 courses for your daily plan and say how many minutes you have. Each day brings a few new lessons and the reviews that are due: a lesson you learn today is tested tomorrow, then after three days, about a week, three weeks and longer; a slip brings it back the next day. Every lesson has a page to read, its recordings to listen to line by line or on a loop, its videos and a quiz with an explanation for every answer.