JLPT N5 Kanji List

There are 103 kanji on the JLPT N5 — the beginner level: basic phrases, everyday vocabulary, and the foundation everything else builds on. The full list is below, ordered by how often each character appears in everyday Japanese, with meanings, readings, and stroke counts.

A note on "official": the JLPT stopped publishing lists in 2010, so every N5 kanji list — ours included — is reconstructed from past exams and established prep materials. This is the set you should be able to read to pass comfortably.

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All 103 JLPT N5 kanji with meanings, readings, and stroke counts, ordered by frequency
#	Kanji	Meaning	On'yomi	Kun'yomi	Strokes
1	日	day, sun, Japan	ニチ	ひ	4
2	一	one, one radical (no.1)	イチ	ひと-	1
3	国	country	コク	くに	8
4	会	meeting, meet, party	カイ	あ.う	6
5	人	person	ジン	ひと	2
6	年	year, counter for years	ネン	とし	6
7	大	large, big	ダイ	おお-	3
8	十	ten	ジュウ	とお	2
9	二	two, two radical (no.2)	ニ	ふた	2
10	本	book, present, main	ホン	もと	5
11	中	in, inside, middle	チュウ	なか	4
12	長	long, leader	チョウ	なが.い	8
13	出	exit, leave, go out	シュツ	で.る	5
14	三	three	サン	み	3
15	時	time, hour	ジ	とき	10
16	行	going, journey	コウ	い.く	6
17	社	company, firm, office	シャ	やしろ	7
18	見	see, hopes, chances	ケン	み.る	7
19	月	month, moon	ゲツ	つき	4
20	分	part, minute of time, segment	ブン	わ.ける	4
21	後	behind, back, later	ゴ	のち	9
22	前	in front, before	ゼン	まえ	9
23	生	life, genuine, birth	セイ	い.きる	5
24	五	five	ゴ	いつ	4
25	間	interval, space	カン	あいだ	12
26	上	above, up	ジョウ	うえ	3
27	東	east	トウ	ひがし	8
28	四	four	シ	よ	5
29	今	now	コン	いま	4
30	新	new	シン	あたら.しい	13
31	金	gold	キン	かね	8
32	九	nine	キュウ	ここの	2
33	入	enter, insert	ニュウ	い.る	2
34	立	stand up, rise, set up	リツ	た.つ	5
35	手	hand	シュ	て	4
36	学	study, learning, science	ガク	まな.ぶ	8
37	高	tall, high, expensive	コウ	たか.い	10
38	円	circle, yen, round	エン	まる.い	4
39	子	child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM	シ	こ	3
40	目	eye, class, look	モク	め	5
41	外	outside	ガイ	そと	5
42	言	say	ゲン	い.う	7
43	八	eight, eight radical (no. 12)	ハチ	や	2
44	六	six	ロク	む	4
45	下	below, down, descend	カ	した	3
46	来	come, due, next	ライ	く.る	7
47	気	spirit, mind, air	キ	いき	6
48	小	little, small	ショウ	ちい.さい	3
49	七	seven	シチ	なな	2
50	山	mountain	サン	やま	3
51	話	tale, talk	ワ	はな.す	13
52	多	many, frequent, much	タ	おお.い	6
53	安	relax, cheap, low	アン	やす.い	6
54	女	woman, female	ジョ	おんな	3
55	北	north	ホク	きた	5
56	午	noon, sign of the horse, 11AM-1PM	ゴ	うま	4
57	百	hundred	ヒャク	もも	6
58	書	write	ショ	か.く	10
59	先	before, ahead, previous	セン	さき	6
60	名	name, noted, distinguished	メイ	な	6
61	川	stream, river, river or 3-stroke river radical (no. 47)	セン	かわ	3
62	千	thousand	セン	ち	3
63	道	road-way, street, district	ドウ	みち	12
64	水	water	スイ	みず	4
65	半	half, middle, odd number	ハン	なか.ば	5
66	男	male	ダン	おとこ	7
67	西	west, Spain	セイ	にし	6
68	電	electricity	デン		13
69	口	mouth	コウ	くち	3
70	少	few, little	ショウ	すく.ない	4
71	校	exam, school, printing	コウ		10
72	語	word, speech, language	ゴ	かた.る	14
73	空	empty, sky, void	クウ	そら	8
74	土	soil, earth, ground	ド	つち	3
75	木	tree, wood	ボク	き	4
76	聞	hear, ask, listen	ブン	き.く	14
77	食	eat, food	ショク	く.う	9
78	車	car	シャ	くるま	7
79	何	what	カ	なに	7
80	南	south	ナン	みなみ	9
81	足	leg, foot, be sufficient	ソク	あし	7
82	万	ten thousand, 10,000	マン	よろず	3
83	店	store, shop	テン	みせ	8
84	毎	every	マイ	ごと	6
85	白	white	ハク	しろ	5
86	古	old	コ	ふる.い	5
87	天	heavens, sky, imperial	テン	あまつ	4
88	買	buy	バイ	か.う	12
89	週	week	シュウ		11
90	母	mother	ボ	はは	5
91	火	fire	カ	ひ	4
92	花	flower	カ	はな	7
93	右	right	ウ	みぎ	5
94	読	read	ドク	よ.む	14
95	友	friend	ユウ	とも	4
96	左	left	サ	ひだり	5
97	休	rest, day off, retire	キュウ	やす.む	6
98	父	father	フ	ちち	4
99	駅	station	エキ		14
100	雨	rain	ウ	あめ	8
101	飲	drink, smoke, take	イン	の.む	12
102	魚	fish	ギョ	うお	11
103	耳	ear	ジ	みみ	6

How to actually learn the N5 kanji

Work top to bottom. The list is frequency-ordered, so the characters you learn first are the ones you will meet most often in real Japanese.
Learn each kanji inside words, not alone. A character studied through the N5 vocabulary it appears in is far more durable than one memorised as an isolated meaning.
Review daily with spaced repetition. Kanji is a retention problem — spaced repetition schedules each character right before you would forget it.
Solid kana first. If you are not yet reading kana without thinking, start with the hiragana chart and katakana chart — the readings in this list assume them.
Know the timeline. For how these hours add up level by level, see how long it takes to learn Japanese.

Think you know them? Our free JLPT N5 practice test — 100 questions across vocabulary, grammar, and reading — shows you exactly where you stand.

Every kanji on this list is drillable

A list shows you the mountain; it does not climb it. In Nihongo Master, every character above is part of an ordered path from N5 through N1 — taught inside real vocabulary, reviewed by spaced-repetition drills that decide what you study each day, with an AI teacher for when a reading refuses to stick.

The dictionary and kana charts are free, and the full course comes with a 14-day free trial you can cancel anytime before it ends.

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Frequently asked questions

How many kanji are on the JLPT N5?

This list contains 103 kanji for JLPT N5. Note that the JLPT has not published official lists since 2010, so every N5 list — ours included — is based on past exams and established prep materials. The set above is what you should be able to read to pass comfortably.

What order should I learn the N5 kanji in?

By frequency, inside real vocabulary. The list above is ordered by how often each character appears in everyday Japanese, so working top to bottom means every hour of study pays off in real reading as early as possible. Learn each kanji through the words it appears in rather than as an isolated character.

How should I memorise the N5 kanji?

Daily spaced repetition. Kanji study is a retention problem, and short daily reviews beat long occasional sessions by a wide margin. Every kanji on this list is drillable in Nihongo Master, which schedules the reviews for you.

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