Mastering the Kanji for the JLPT N5 exam : So you’re looking to take the N5 JLPT exam are you? Fantastic news, you’ve found the perfect article. Hey everybody and welcome to another totally incredible online Japanese lesson from Bondlingo. Today we are going to be covering the kanji for the N5 exam and looking at all the tips and tricks you’re going to need to know for learning the kanji effectively.
Contents
Mastering the Kanji for the JLPT N5 exam
We are going to start by looking at the type of Kanji you will need to know, followed by our techniques on how to learn and study these Kanji. Finally, we will provide a table with all the kanji so you can refer back to the article again and again to make sure you have them all nailed.
Okay so let’s get going with today’s online Japanese articles and start mastering the N5 kanji.
All about the N5 Kanji
To pass the N5 exam you are going to need to know roughly about 100 Kanji. Now this may seem daunting as a beginner, however, compared to the other JLPT exams this amount is just a drop in the ocean. If you think that 100 kanji is going to be a challenge for you then you should rethink your dedication to the cause, it’s not that hard but will take around 2 – 3 weeks. We know you can do it.
The JLPT exam is a set of multiple-choice questions and when it comes to the kanji you will be asked to change either identify Kanji from Hiragana or vice versa. It’s not that difficult but you need to ensure that you have taken the right preparations.
So next let’s have a look at some of the kanji that will be popping up in this exam:
| Kanji | meaning | On yomi | Kun yomi |
| 火 | Fire | ka | hi |
| 安 | Cheap | An | yasui |
| 雨 | Rain | u | Ame |
These are some of the simple kanji that you will be coming up against for the exam. It may be that you have come across them before in certain vocabulary words so that will definitely help you too. We are now going to look at the process you should use to master them all.
How to master the N5 Kanji: an effective process
So now you’ve got a taste for some of the Kanji that will be on the exam, let’s now look at the techniques and processes you should use to ensure you can remember and master the kanji for the exam. Not only that, but also be able to take that knowledge and apply that to your practice comprehension and communication skills.
Let’s take 火 as our first example.
| Kanji | meaning | On yomi | Kun yomi |
| 火 | Fire | ka | hi |
As you can see from the table here, we have all the elements we are going to need to know for the exam. We have the Kanji itself, the meaning, the on yomi reading (Chinese reading) and the kun yomi reading (Japanese reading)
So now what we need to do first is to analyse the shape and try to link the shape with the English meaning to allow us to recognise the kanji when we see it. As you can see 火 already looks like a fire. You can see the main flame and then the other 2 little flames coming up at either side. This is exactly what you need to do for all of the 100 kanji. Make a story with the smaller elements to help you remember the overall meanings. Some will be straight forward, but you will need to have lots of creativity for others. Take a look at some other online recourses if you need help with this.
Try and study around 3 per day, this way you will have them finished within a month. Put them into an anki system and make sure to review them every day too.
We are now going to provide you with a list of all the kanji that you can refer to for your studies.
JLPT N5 Kanji list
Kanji Romaji Meaning
安 An Cheap
一 Ichi One
飲 In In
右 Migi Right
雨 Ame Rain
駅 Eki Station
円 En Yen
下 Shita Lowness
何 Nan What
火 Ka Tuesday
花 Hana Flower
会 Kai Gathering
外 Soto Outside of
学 Gaku Learning
間 Ma 1.818 m
気 Ki Spirit
休 Kyū Kyū
魚 Sakana Fish
金 Kin Money
九 Kyū Nine
空 Sora Emptiness
月 Gatsu Month
見 Mi To see
言 Gen Word
古 Inishie Antiquity
五 Go Five
午 Uma Seventh sign of Chinese zodiac
後 Ato Behind
語 Go Language
口 Kuchi Mouth
校 Kō School
行 Gyō Line
高 Kō High
国 Kuni Country
今 Ima Now
左 Hidari Left
三 San Three
山 Yama Mt
四 Yon Four
子 Ko Child
時 Ji Hour
耳 Mimi Ear
七 Nana Seven
社 Sha Company
車 Kuruma Car
手 Te Hand
週 Shū Week
十 Jū 10
出 De Coming out
書 Sho Document
女 Onna Woman
小 Shō Small
少 Shō Small
上 Jō Upper reaches
食 Shoku Meal
新 Shin New
人 Hito Man
水 Mizu Wednesday
生 Sei Pure
西 Nishi Spain
先 Saki Previous
千 Sen 1,000
川 Kawa River
前 Mae The last
足 Ashi Foot
多 Ta Multi-
大 Dai The large part of
男 Otoko Man
中 Chū Medium
長 Chō Chief
天 Ten Sky
店 Mise Merchant’s home
電 Den lightning
土 Do Earth
東 Higashi East
道 Dō Road
読 Yomi Reading
南 Minami South
二 Ni Two
日 Nichi Sunday
入 Iri Entering
年 Nen Year
買 Kai Buying
白 Shiro White
八 Hachi Eight
半 Han Half
百 Hyaku 100
父 Chichi Father
分 Bun Part
聞 Kiki Kiki
母 Haha Mother
北 Kita North
本 Hon Book
毎 Mai Every
万 Man 10,000
名 Mei Counter for people
木 Ki Tree
目 Me Eye
友 Tomo Friend
来 Rai Next
立 Tate Just
六 Roku Six
話 Hanashi Talk
Okay guys so there we have it, that’s all of the JLPT N5 kanji that you are going to need to know for the exam. We really hope that you have enjoyed today’s lesson and that you are ready to crush the exam. Make sure to follow the process to the best of your ability as consistency is key in this process. From now on your destiny is in your hand.
We really appreciate all of your ideas and suggestions for upcoming content guys so if you have anything else that you would like us to reach, be sure to leave a comment. Best of luck everyone on the test and we will see you again in the next online Japanese lesson form Bondlingo.
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