Study 71 essential JLPT N5 grammar points with full lesson links, examples, and explanations for complete beginners, from kana and basic particles to te-form, short forms, and comparisons.
- Lesson 0 – Hiragana, Katakana & Greetings
- Lesson 1 – Numbers, Time & Self-Introduction Sentences
- Lesson 2 – This/That/Where & Whose?
- Lesson 3 – ru/u/irregular Verbs & Time Talk
- Lesson 4 – There is/are, Past Tense & Adverbs
- Lesson 5 – い/な Adjectives, Likes & Skills
- Lesson 6 – Te-form: Requests, Links & Permissions
- Lesson 7 – Let’s Forms, Features & Purpose ni iku
- Lesson 8 – Short [Plain] Forms, は vs が & く/になる
- Lesson 9 – Think, Report, Don’t V & Verb-の
- Lesson 10 – Reasons, Experiences & Obligations
- Lesson 11 – Comparisons, もう/まだ & の/で
- Lesson 12 – Want, Too Much, たり & Predictions
Lesson 0 – Hiragana, Katakana & Greetings
Read & write Hiragana/Katakana, recognise starter Kanji, and greet with こんにちは・ありがとう.
Lesson 1 – Numbers, Time & Self-Introduction Sentences
Introduce yourself, build simple sentences (desu / janai desu / desu ka), use wa・no・mo, talk in past (deshita), and handle numbers & time.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1-a | すうじ | numbers |
| 1-1-b | じかん | time |
| 1-2-a | N1 は N2 です | N1 is N2 |
| 1-2-b | 助詞「の」 | particle の |
| 1-3-a | N1 は N2 ですか | Is N1 N2? |
| 1-3-b | N1 は N2 じゃないです | N1 is not N2 |
| 1-4-a | N1 も N2 です | N1 is also N2 |
| 1-4-b | N1 は N2 でした | N1 was N2 |
Lesson 2 – This/That/Where & Whose?
Point to things (kore/sore/are) and places (koko/soko), use kono/sono + noun, ask “whose?” with dare no, and handle basic shopping & location questions.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1-a | これ / それ / あれ / どれ | this / that / which one |
| 2-1-b | ここ / そこ / あそこ / どこ | here / there / over there / where |
| 2-2-a | この / その / あの / どの + N | this / that / which + N |
| 2-2-b | だれの + N | whose N |
Lesson 3 – ru/u/irregular Verbs & Time Talk
Describe daily activities with common ru-/u-/irregular verbs, use the right particles (incl. mo), and add time expressions to talk about your routine.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1-a | ル動詞 | ru-verbs |
| 3-1-b | ウ動詞 | u-verbs |
| 3-1-c | 不規則動詞 | irregular verbs |
| 3-2-a | 助詞 も | particle も |
| 3-2-b | 助詞を使う / 使わない時間表現 | time expressions with/without particles |
Lesson 4 – There is/are, Past Tense & Adverbs
Say what exists where with あります・います, count with counters, use verbs in past tense, add adverbs for frequency/amount, link nouns/people with と, and describe locations around you.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-1-a | Nがあります/います | There is / There are N |
| 4-1-b | Nが X人/個 あります/います | There is/are X N |
| 4-2-a | 動詞の過去形 | Past tense of verbs |
| 4-2-b | 副詞（頻度, 時間, 量） | Adverbs (frequency, duration, quantity) |
| 4-3-a | 助詞「と」 | Particle と |
| 4-3-b | 場所の表現 | Expressing locations |
Lesson 5 – い/な Adjectives, Likes & Skills
Describe people & things with い-/な-adjectives (present & past), modify nouns with them, and talk about likes, dislikes, and abilities.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-1-a | な形容詞 | な-adjectives |
| 5-1-b | い形容詞 | い-adjectives |
| 5-2-a | 形容詞の過去形 | Past tense of adjectives |
| 5-2-b | 形容詞＋名詞 | Adj + N |
| 5-3-a | 好きな / きらいな | like / dislike |
| 5-3-b | 上手な / 下手な | good at / bad at |
Lesson 6 – Te-form: Requests, Links & Permissions
Use te-form to make requests (てください), link actions, give permission (てもいいです), forbid actions (てはいけません), and describe ongoing actions/states (ています).
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 6-1-a | V-て + ください | Please do ~ |
| 6-1-b | V1-て、V2 | V1 and V2 |
| 6-2-a | V-て + もいいです | It is okay to do ~ |
| 6-2-b | V-て + はいけません | must not do ~ |
| 6-3 | V-て + いる（動作の継続 / 結果の継続） | Ongoing action / Ongoing result |
Lesson 7 – Let’s Forms, Features & Purpose ni iku
Invite or offer help (Vましょう/ませんか/ましょうか), describe features (N1はN2がAdj + te-form links), and state purpose of movement (V-stem に 行く/来る).
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 7-1 | V(stem) + ましょう / ましょうか | Let’s do ~ / Shall we do ~? | Shall I ~? |
| 7-2-a | N1 は N2 が Adj です | As for N1, N2 is Adj |
| 7-2-b | 形容詞/名詞 のテ形 | Adjective/noun te-forms |
| 7-3-a | V(stem) + に行く/来る | go/come to do ~ |
| 7-3-b | V(stem) + ませんか | Why don’t we ~? |
Lesson 8 – Short [Plain] Forms, は vs が & く/になる
Speak in short forms (plain forms), pick は vs が correctly, and describe changes with ～く/になる.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 8-1 | 短形（動詞） | 短形動詞を使ったカジュアル表現 | Short forms (Verbs) | Informal speech using verb short forms |
| 8-2 | 短形（形容詞と名詞） | 短形形容詞/名詞を使ったカジュアル表現 | Short forms (Adjectives & nouns) | Informal speech using adjective/noun short forms |
| 8-3-a | 過去形の短形（動詞） | Past tense short forms (verbs) |
| 8-3-b | 過去形の短形（形容詞と名詞） | Past tense short forms (Adjectives & nouns) |
| 8-4-a | 主格助詞「は」vs「が」 | The subject particles は vs が |
| 8-4-b | い-Adj + くなる / な-adj + になる | become ~ |
Lesson 9 – Think, Report, Don’t V & Verb-の
Share opinions (～と思います), report what others said (～と言っていました), ask “please don’t” (Vないでください), and nominalize actions with V+の.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 9-1-a | (short) + と思います | I think that ~ |
| 9-1-b | (short) + と言っていました | (Person) said that ~ |
| 9-2-a | V-ない + でください | Please do not ~ |
| 9-2-b | V(short) + の | Nominalizing verbs with の |
Lesson 10 – Reasons, Experiences & Obligations
Explain reasons (から・ので・んです), share experiences (Vたことがある), give advice (Vたほうがいい), and state obligations (Vなければ／なきゃいけません).
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 10-1-a | (short) + から | Because ~ |
| 10-1-b | (short) + んです | In fact / Actually, ~ |
| 10-2-a | (short) + ので | Because ~ |
| 10-2-b | V-なければ/なきゃ + いけません | must do ~ |
| 10-3-a | V-た + ことがある | have the experience of ~ |
| 10-3-b | V-た + ほうがいいです | should do ~ |
Lesson 11 – Comparisons, もう/まだ & の/で
Compare items (のほうが〜より / いちばん), say already / not yet (もう Vた / まだ Vていない), replace nouns with の, qualify nouns with verb clauses, and indicate means with で.
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 11-1-a | N1のほうがN2より ～ | N1 is more ~ than N2 |
| 11-1-b | N1の中でN2がいちばん ～ | N1 is the most ~ among N2 |
| 11-2-a | Adj/N(short) + の | replacing previously mentioned nouns |
| 11-2-b | V(short) + N | Qualifying nouns with verbs |
| 11-3-a | もうV-ました / まだV-ていません | have already done / have not yet done ~ |
| 11-3-b | 手段・道具の助詞「で」 | The means/instrument particle で |
Lesson 12 – Want, Too Much, たり & Predictions
Say what you want (Vたい), note excess (〜すぎる), stress quantity (〜も/しか), list actions (たりたり), state intentions (〜つもりだ), and make predictions (でしょう).
| Grammar | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 12-1-a | V/adj(stem) + すぎる | too much ~ |
| 12-1-b | V(stem) + たい | I want to ~ |
| 12-2-a | Number + も/しか | as many as / as few as |
| 12-2-b | V1-たり V2-たりする | do such things as V1 and V2 |
| 12-3-a | V(short) + つもりだ | intend to ~ |
| 12-3-b | (short) + でしょう | expressing guess/prediction |
Want to take it to the next level? Check this out: Japanese Grammar List – Level 2 (JLPT N4 / CEFR A2)