JLPT N3 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
The JLPT N3 grammar checklist below collects roughly 120 grammar points, grouped by theme. Standard intermediate textbooks treat these points as new at N3, beyond what N4 already covers.12 Each point gets a one-line orientation and a link to its full guide. This page routes you to the grammar; it does not teach it.
How to use this checklist
Every row names one grammar point, briefly says what it is, and explains why it is new at N3. The fourth column points to the main article that teaches the point in full.
This page orients and routes. It does not explain how a form is built or drill its uses; that work lives in the linked articles. Treat each row as a pointer, and check off a point once you have studied its article.31
N3 is widely described as the steepest textbook jump on the JLPT ladder. It consolidates voice (causative, passive, and causative-passive) and introduces the inference and compound-particle systems at once. Grouping by theme, rather than alphabetically, lets you tackle one system at a time.14
The "~120 new" figure is a textbook consensus, not an official JLPT count. It is also a delta: it counts only what is new at N3, since N3 also tests every N4 and N5 grammar point.312 No official N3 grammar list exists. See "What 'N3 grammar' really means" below for why.
Some compiled JLPT references tag a few of these points as N2 (に関して, ばかりか / ばかりに, かのように, ものの, にしても, にしたがって, ようでは, and the わけがない / わけにはいかない negatives), even though standard N3 textbooks introduce them. Because no official list exists, these points straddle the border. This checklist routes by textbook scope and flags each one inline.31
The N3 grammar checklist
Compound and adverbial particles (について, によって, に対して, にとって)
The formal noun-plus-に compound particles are a defining family in N3 reading. N4 handles topics with は and が only, so this whole compound-particle set is new at N3.15
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～について | "About / regarding"; marks the topic a statement or investigation is directed at | The first formal noun-plus-に compound particle; absent at N4 | The について Compound Particle: About / Regarding |
| ～によって | "By means of / depending on / by (agent in passive) / varying with" | Introduces the by-agent marker behind formal passives and the "varies with" sense | The によって Compound Particle: By Means of, Depending on |
| ～に対して | "Toward / against / in contrast to"; the target of an attitude, or a contrast | The directed-attitude and contrastive senses are intermediate-only | The に対して Compound Particle: Toward / In Contrast |
| ～にとって | "For X / from X's perspective"; frames a judgment as one party sees it | A perspective-framing compound particle not taught at N4 | The にとって Compound Particle: For X / From X's Perspective |
| ～に関して | "Concerning / regarding (formal)"; the written-register sibling of について | New at N3 but register-heavy; some lists place に関して at N2 | The に関して Compound Particle: Concerning / Regarding (Formal) |
Aspect, limitation, and quantity (ばかり, ところ family, すぎる, conditional-of-degree)
This cluster covers restriction, where an action sits on the timeline, excess, and paired degree constructions.12
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～ばかり (aspect) | "Only / just / nothing but," and after the た-form, "just did" | N4 covers "only" with だけ; ばかり adds "nothing but" and the "just finished" sense | The ばかり Particle: Only / Just / About To |
| ～ばかりか / ～ばかりに | "Not only X (but also)" / "just because (with a bad result)" | New at N3 but ばかりか / ばかりに lean N2; included for completeness | ～ばかりか and ～ばかりに: Not Only / Just Because |
| ～ところ family (たところ / ているところ / るところ) | "About to / in the middle of / just finished"; the ところ aspect series | N4 has て-form progressives only; the three-way ところ contrast is intermediate | The ～ところ Family in Japanese: About To, In the Middle Of, Just Finished |
| ～たとたん / ～たところ / ～た直後 | "The moment / just after"; immediate-sequence expressions | New at N3 (とたん sits toward the harder end of N3) | ～たとたん / ～たところ / ～た直後: "Just After" |
| ～しかない | "No choice but to / there is only"; しか…ない plus a verb | N4 has しか…ない for quantity; the "no choice but to" verbal use is intermediate | ～しかない: "No Choice but to" and "There Is Only" |
| ば…ほど | "The more X, the more Y"; a paired conditional-plus-extent construction | Requires the ば conditional and the ほど extent particle together, beyond N4 | ば…ほど: "The More X, the More Y" |
| ～ほど (extent) | "To the extent that / (not) as…as"; marks degree or a comparison floor | The extent and negative-comparison senses are intermediate | The ほど Particle: Extent and Comparison |
| ～くらい / ～ぐらい (extent) | "About / to the point that"; approximation plus a minimizing-extent sense | N4 uses くらい for rough quantity; the "to the point of" extent sense is intermediate | The くらい / ぐらい Particle: Approximation and "About" |
The high-frequency excess suffix ～すぎる ("too much / excessively"; a verb-stem or adjective-stem plus すぎる) is introduced at the N4-to-N3 boundary. Consensus lists treat it as an N3 staple, but it has no dedicated J-Compass article yet.31
Causative, passive, and the causative-passive (使役・受身・使役受身)
The voice system is the core N3 expansion. It builds on the N4 potential and passive base. Along with the evidential set, this is the hardest N3 cluster.145
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| 使役形 ～(さ)せる | "Make / let (someone) do"; causative coercion or permission | The core N3 voice expansion built on the N4 base | Causative Form (使役形): How to Say "Make" and "Let" |
| 受身形 ～(ら)れる | "Be done to"; direct and indirect (suffering) passive | N4 introduces the form lightly; N3 consolidates the adversative passive | Passive Voice (受身形): Direct and Indirect Passives |
| 使役受身 ～(さ)せられる | "Be made to do"; the stacked causative-passive of unwilling action | Forms only once causative and passive are in place; the single hardest N3 conjugation | Causative-Passive Form (使役受身): "Was Made to Do" |
| 自発 (spontaneous) | "Happens by itself / comes to feel"; spontaneous ～られる with 思われる, 感じられる | The spontaneous reading of the れる / られる morpheme is an intermediate distinction | Spontaneous Voice (自発): Happens by Itself |
| 可能形 (potential) | "Can / be able to"; ～られる / ～える / できる | Review anchor, not new at N3; included to anchor the れる / られる morpheme contrast | Potential Form: ～られる, ～える, できる |
The れる / られる morpheme (a small meaning-bearing form) carries four jobs at N3. Learning to tell them apart is the task.
Inference and evidentials (らしい, みたい, そう, よう)
The four-way seems / looks-like / hearsay system is introduced as a set at N3. Because the forms overlap in English, learning to distinguish them is the central task.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～らしい (evidential) | "Seems / apparently," from reliable outside information; reportive-inferential | One of the four-way inference forms introduced together at N3 | ～らしい (Evidential): "Seems" and "Apparently" |
| ～みたい (casual) | "Like / seems like"; the colloquial register of ようだ | The casual counterpart of formal ようだ, paired at N3 | ～みたい (Casual): "Like" and "Seems Like" |
| ～そうだ (appearance) | "Looks like / seems," from direct visual impression; on the verb/adjective stem | A visual-impression evidential distinct from the hearsay そうだ | ～そうだ (Appearance): How to Say "Looks Like…" |
| ～そうだ (hearsay) | "I heard that / they say"; plain form plus そうだ | The appearance-vs-hearsay split on そうだ is a signature N3 contrast | ～そうだ (Hearsay): How to Say "I Heard That" |
| ～ようだ (formal) | "Seems / appears (evidence-based) / resembles"; formal inferential | The formal evidential anchor of the inference set | ～ようだ (Formal): Resemblance and Evidence-Based Inference |
| Inference comparison hub | そう / よう / らしい / みたい compared side by side | The comparison itself is an N3 task because the forms overlap | Inferential Suffixes in Japanese: ～そう, ～よう, ～らしい, ～みたい Compared |
| ～かのように / ～かのような | "As if / as though," an explicitly unreal likeness | New at N3 but leans upper-N3/N2; the counterfactual "as if" is at the harder edge | ～かのように / ～かのような: How to Say "As If" |
Temporal and circumstantial clauses (うちに, 間に, まま, ながら)
These are time-frame subordinators and the "as-is" state clause. N3 reading leans on this machinery to set one action against another.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～うちに | "While / before X changes"; a time frame valid only until a state ends | N4 has 時 / 前に / 後で; the "before the window closes" sense is intermediate | ～うちに: "While" and "Before X Changes" |
| ～間に | "During / while (a bounded interval)"; an action completed within another's duration | Contrasts with 間 (whole duration); the punctual-within-interval reading is intermediate | ～間に (aida ni): During / While |
| ～まま | "As-is / unchanged"; a state held constant across another action | The unchanged-state clause has no N4 equivalent | The ～まま Grammar Point: "As-Is" and "Without Changing" |
| ～ながら / ～ながら(も) | "While doing (simultaneous)" and concessive "although" | N4 may touch simultaneous ながら; the concessive ながら(も) is intermediate | The ～ながら Form: Doing Two Things at Once (and Concessive ～ながら(も)) |
Suffixes of manner and quality (がる, げ, っぽい, らしい-typical, さ / み)
These suffixes attribute feelings and express "-ish / -ness." They turn adjectives and emotions into observable or noun-like forms.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～がる / ～たがる | "Show signs of / appear to want"; turns a first-person emotion into a third-person observation | Resolves the N4 rule that emotion adjectives and たい describe only the speaker | ～がる: How to Say Someone "Shows Signs of" a Feeling |
| ～げ | "Looks / seems (a feeling), -looking"; makes an adjective of visible feeling (寂しげ) | A derivational manner suffix not taught at N4 | The ～げ Suffix: How to Say Someone "Looks / Seems" a Feeling |
| ～っぽい | "-ish / has the qualities of / tends to" (子供っぽい, 忘れっぽい) | A high-frequency colloquial derivation introduced at N3 | The ～っぽい Suffix: How to Say "-ish / Has the Qualities Of" |
| ～らしい (typical-of) | "Typical of / behaving as a proper X should" (男らしい, 学生らしい) | A separate N3 point from the evidential らしい, a known confusion | The ～らしい Suffix: How to Say "Typical of X" |
| ～さ / ～み | "-ness"; ～さ derives an objective measurable noun, ～み a more subjective one | N4 nominalizes with こと / の; adjective-stem ～さ / ～み derivation is intermediate | Adjective Stem Nominalization in Japanese: ～さ vs. ～み |
Two more frequency-and-degree suffixes belong here but have no dedicated J-Compass article yet: ～がち ("tends to / prone to," often undesirable, as in 忘れがち or 病気がち) and ～ぎみ ("a touch of / slightly," often a negative tendency, as in 風邪ぎみ or 疲れぎみ). Both are standard N3 suffixes and are often paired with ～っぽい.31
Purpose, intention, and change of state (ように, ために, ことにする/なる, つもり, volitional + と思う)
The よう cluster and the decision-and-intent family come together at N3. This includes the purpose-vs-cause split and the contrast between a voluntary decision and an outside decision.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～ように (purpose) | "So that / in order to," with a non-volitional or potential verb | The purpose ように (vs. ために) and its non-volitional constraint are intermediate | ～ように: How to Say "So That" / "In Order To" |
| ～ために (purpose) | "For the sake of / in order to," with a volitional verb; also causal ために | The purpose-vs-cause split and the volitional constraint are intermediate | ～ために: How to Say "For the Sake of" / "In Order To" |
| ～ようになる / ～ようにする | "Come to (a state) / make an effort to"; change-of-state vs. habitual effort | The よう-clause connectors are an N3 cluster | ～よう: How "Like / So That" Becomes a Clause Connector (ようになる, ようにする, ように, ような) |
| ～ことにする / ～ことになる | "Decide to / it has been decided"; speaker-decision vs. external-decision | The volitional-vs-circumstantial decision pair is intermediate | ～ことにする / ～ことになる: Decide vs. It Was Decided |
| ～つもり | "Intend to," and the つもりだった "I thought I had but didn't" trap | N4 may touch つもり; the counterfactual つもりだった is the N3 extension | ～つもり: How to State a Firm Intention (and the つもりだった Trap) |
| ～ようと思う | "I'm thinking of doing / I intend to"; volitional plus と思う | Requires the plain volitional and quotative と思う together, built at N3 | ～ようと思う: How to Say "I'm Thinking of Doing X" |
| Plain volitional ～(よ)う / ～おう | "Let's / I'll"; the plain-style volitional | Review anchor, not new at N3; included to anchor ようと思う and ようとする | The Plain Volitional Form ～よう / ～おう |
Cause, reason, and contrast connectives (ので, のに, ため/せい/おかげ, につれて/にしたがって)
The reasoning and concessive connectives expand at N3. They split "because" by register and "because of" by whether the speaker assigns blame or credit.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| から vs. ので | "Because"; subjective/assertive から vs. softer/objective ので | Both appear at N4, but the register-and-nuance contrast is an N3 refinement | から vs. ので: Cause and Reason |
| のに | "Even though," with frustration / counter-expectation | The counter-expectational のに and its contrast with けど are intermediate | のに: How to Say "Even Though" with Frustration (Counter-Expectational) |
| ため / せい / おかげ | "Because of (neutral) / fault of (blame) / thanks to (credit)" | The neutral / blame / credit three-way is an N3 set | ため / せい / おかげ: Neutral, Blame, and Credit in Japanese Reasons |
| ～につれて / ～にしたがって | "As X progresses / in accordance with"; proportional-change connectives | New at N3, though にしたがって leans upper-N3; not at N4 | ～につれて / ～にしたがって: As X Progresses |
| ～ものの | "Although / even though (a fact, yet)"; a formal concessive | New at N3 but leans upper-N3/N2; a formal concessive at the harder edge | ～ものの: "Although / Even Though" |
| ～ものだ / ～ものではない | "General truth / nostalgia / should(n't)"; the multi-sense もの ender | The general-truth, nostalgic, and moral-advice senses are intermediate | ～ものだ / ～ものではない: General Truths, Nostalgia, and Moral Advice |
| ～にしては / ～にしても | "Considering / for X" and "even considering / regardless of" | New at N3, though にしても leans upper-N3; evaluative-standard contrast is intermediate | ～にしては (Considering / For X) and ～にしても (Even Considering / Regardless Of) |
| ～ばかりか | "Not only X but also"; additive escalation (cross-listed from the aspect group) | New at N3 but leans N2; flagged where it first appears above | ～ばかりか and ～ばかりに: Not Only / Just Because |
Nominalization, quotation, and complex clauses (こと/の, という, わけだ, embedded questions, relative clauses)
This is the clause-into-noun and quotation machinery that N3 reading leans on. It includes the こと-vs-の selection rule and the わけ family.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| こと vs. の (nominalizer) | Turns a clause into a noun; こと for abstract facts, の for concrete events | N4 introduces nominalizers lightly; the こと-vs-の selection rule is intermediate | Nominalization: こと vs. の as Sentence-into-Noun |
| Complement こと | "The fact / act of (abstract)"; こと-clause complement of 決める, 約束する | Complement-clause embedding is N3 reading machinery | Japanese Complement Clauses with こと: The Abstract Nominalizer |
| Complement の | "The act / event of (concrete, perceived)"; の-clause complement of 見る, 聞く | The concrete-complement の is an N3 distinction | Japanese Complement Clauses with の: The Concrete Nominalizer |
| ～という | "Called / the fact that / so-called"; naming, defining, and fact-marking | という for naming and "the fact that" is intermediate quotation machinery | Japanese ～という (to iu): Naming, Defining, and "the Fact That" |
| Quotation と | "(Say / think) that"; the quotative particle with 言う, 思う | N4 touches と思う; the full quotative system (reported speech, embedded thought) is N3 | Japanese Quotation with と: How to Say What Someone Said or Thought |
| Casual quoting って | "(They) say / -tte"; the colloquial quotative and topic って | The colloquial quotative って is an N3 spoken-register point | The って Particle: Casual Quoting, Hearsay, and "Tte-Iu" |
| ～わけだ | "That's why / it follows that / no wonder"; a logical conclusion from context | The explanatory / conclusion わけ is intermediate | ～わけだ: How to Say "That's Why / It Follows That" |
| わけ-negatives (わけではない / わけがない / わけにはいかない) | "It's not that / there's no way / can't afford to" | New at N3 partly; わけがない / わけにはいかない lean N2, わけではない sits N3 | The わけ-Family Negatives: ～わけではない, ～わけがない, ～わけにはいかない |
| Embedded questions (かどうか, 疑問詞 + か) | "Whether or not / [wh-]…"; an embedded question as a clause argument | Embedded interrogatives are N3 reading machinery | Japanese Embedded Questions: かどうか and か |
| Relative clauses | Modifying a noun with a whole clause (the boy who…) | N4 has short modifiers; long / complex relative clauses are an N3 reading load | Japanese Relative Clauses: Modifying a Noun With a Whole Sentence |
Conditional refinements (counterfactual ば…のに / たら…のに, ようでは, かのように)
At N3, the N4 four-way "if" system gains counterfactual and critical-conditional senses.125
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counterfactual ば…のに / たら…のに | "If only X (but it isn't so) / I wish"; conditional plus のに for an unreal, regretted situation | N4 teaches the four conditionals factually; the counterfactual "if only" extension is intermediate | Counterfactual Conditionals in Japanese: ば…のに and たら…のに |
| ～ようでは | "If you keep doing it this way (then a bad outcome)"; the critical conditional | New at N3 but leans upper-N3; a critical conditional at the harder edge | ～ようでは: How to Say "If You Keep Doing It This Way" (the Critical Conditional) |
| ～かのように | "As if (counterfactual)"; cross-listed from the inference group | New at N3 but leans N2; flagged where it first appears above | ～かのように / ～かのような: How to Say "As If" |
| Conditionals overview | と / ば / たら / なら, the four-way "if" | Review anchor, not new at N3; included to anchor the counterfactual refinement | Japanese Conditionals Overview: と, ば, たら, なら |
Keigo entry points (sonkeigo お〜になる, kenjogo お〜する, sonkeigo via られる)
The productive honorific and humble frames first appear in N3 textbook scope. N4 covers special honorific verbs such as いらっしゃる. N3 introduces the systematic patterns.146
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N3 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| お〜になる (sonkeigo) | "(Someone respected) does"; the honorific frame お + verb-stem + になる | The first systematic keigo grammar; standard in N3 scope | O + Verb Stem + Ni Naru (お〜になる): The Productive Sonkeigo Honorific |
| お〜する (kenjogo) | "I humbly do (for someone respected)"; the frame お + verb-stem + する | The productive humble pattern enters at N3 | O + Verb Stem + Suru (お〜する): The Productive Kenjōgo Humble Form |
| Sonkeigo via ～(ら)れる | "(Someone respected) does"; the passive form reused as a light honorific | The honorific reading of れる / られる is an intermediate distinction on the passive | Sonkeigo via the Passive Form (～られる) |
| Keigo grammar overview | How honorific, humble, and polite verbs conjugate; level-selection logic | Partly review (polite です / ます is N5/N4), partly new (the sonkeigo / kenjōgo framework is N3) | Keigo Grammar Overview: How to Conjugate Honorific, Humble, and Polite Verbs |
What "N3 grammar" really means
The JLPT publishes no official grammar list. The administering bodies provide a "Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level" for N3 and confirm that the test measures grammar knowledge. However, they have released no grammar, vocabulary, or kanji list since the 2010 redesign.78 Every "N3 grammar list" in circulation is a third-party compilation built from remembered past exams and difficulty estimates. JLPTsensei's own page states plainly that there is no official JLPT N3 grammar list.3
The official level summary describes N3 as the ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree. This includes reading written material on everyday topics and grasping summary information such as newspaper headlines.7
The "~120 new" figure is a consensus drawn from the standard intermediate textbooks, not an official number. When counted as points new at N3, beyond N4, compiled lists cluster around 100 to 150. JLPTsensei's list shows 182 total entries, and some SRS decks reach roughly 220 by splitting senses.312 The figure depends entirely on how senses are counted and where the N3/N2 and N3/N4 borders are drawn.
"New beyond N4" is the key framing. N3 also tests every N4 and N5 grammar point, but this checklist counts only what is new at N3. It uses the same delta logic as N3 vocabulary. Basic particles, the te-form, the plain conditionals, and polite keigo are assumed and not repeated.12
Good to know
Don't study this list top to bottom
The checklist is grouped by theme for routing and review, not as a study sequence. Standard intermediate textbooks usually tackle one system at a time, such as the full inference set and then the full voice set, rather than using an alphabetical sweep.14
Causative-passive and the evidential family are the N3 bottleneck
The single hardest conjugation at N3 is the causative-passive ～(さ)せられる. It only makes sense once both the causative and the passive are secure. Learners commonly stall when they try it before consolidating the two source voices.145
The four inference forms (らしい / みたい / そうだ / ようだ) overlap in English ("seems / looks like / apparently"). The common error is choosing the wrong evidential for the evidence source. The comparison itself is an N3 task, not an afterthought.15
A related trap: evidential ～らしい and typical-of ～らしい are spelled and conjugated alike, but they are different grammar points. Conflating them is a documented N3 confusion.15
"~120 new" is a delta, not a total
N3 tests N4 and N5 grammar too. This checklist counts only what is new at N3, mirroring the "new beyond N4" framing used for N3 vocabulary.12 Because no official list exists, treat any single count as an estimate. The honest framing is a range of roughly 100 to 150 new points. The borderline N3/N2 rows (ばかりか, ものの, かのように, わけがない / わけにはいかない, に関して, にしても) are flagged so you know where the consensus frays.31
See also
- JLPT N3 Prep Overview: The Make-or-Break Level
- Bridging from N4 to N3: The Gap Plan
- JLPT N4 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
- JLPT N2 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
- How Japanese Grammar Works: A Big-Picture Overview
- Japanese Particles (助詞): The Eight Categories Explained