How many kanji do you need to know for N5 and which ones exactly
How many kanji do you need to know for N5: about 100 characters and roughly 800 words. The exam has had no official list since 2010, but based on analysis of tasks, these are numbers (一二三), days and time (日月火水木金土), simple actions (行く, 見る, 食べる) and everyday nouns (人, 山, 川, 車). You can realistically learn them in 1–2 months.
A hundred characters sounds like a lot until you see which ones they are. On N5, these are signs you already see every day in anime and on signs: numbers, days of the week, 'person', 'mountain', 'entrance' and 'exit'. Half of them are recognizable at first glance.
How many kanji and words are needed at each level
| Level | Kanji | Words | Study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| N5 | about 100 | about 800 | 250–450 |
| N4 | about 300 | about 1,500 | 550–1,000 |
| N3 | about 650 | about 3,700 | 900–1,700 |
| N2 | about 1,000 | about 6,000 | 1,500–2,600 |
| N1 | about 2,000 | about 10,000 | 3,000–4,800 |
Why the lists are 'approximate'
Since 2010, JLPT organizers have not published official lists — only skill descriptions. All kanji tables by level are compiled by teachers from analysis of real tasks, so numbers from different sources vary slightly. In practice, the discrepancy is not significant: the core matches.
Which kanji are included in N5
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | ichi · ichi | One |
| 日 | hi · hi | Sun, day |
| 月 | tsuki · tsuki | Moon, month |
| 人 | hito · hito | Person |
| 山 | yama · yama | Mountain |
| 水 | mizu · mizu | Water |
| 食べる | taberu · taberu | To eat |
Where to start
- First, numbers 一〜十 and 百, 千, 万: they give dates, prices, and time.
- Then days of the week 日月火水木金土 — seven characters immediately cover the calendar.
- Next, indicator characters: 入口 (entrance), 出口 (exit), 上 (up), 下 (down), 大 (big), 小 (small).
- Only after that — verbs 行く, 来る, 見る, 食べる, 飲む.
Write your first N5 kanji
山 'mountain' — one of the most recognizable characters of the level. Trace along the guides.
FAQ
- How many kanji do you need to know for N5?
- About 100 characters and roughly 800 words. There is no official list; the numbers are derived by teachers from task analysis.
- Which kanji exactly are included in N5?
- Numbers (一〜十), days of the week (日月火水木金土), basic nouns (人, 山, 川, 車, 学校) and simple verbs (行く, 見る, 食べる, 飲む).
- How long does it take to learn kanji for N5?
- With 20–30 minutes a day — in 1–2 months. The difficulty is not in the quantity but in the readings: a single character usually has several.
- How many words are needed for N5?
- About 800. This is everyday vocabulary: food, time, family, transport, simple actions and adjectives.
Updated: 2026-07-25