JLPT N4 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
The JLPT N4 grammar checklist below collects roughly 80 grammar points. They are grouped by theme and reflect what standard upper-beginner textbooks treat as new at N4 (beyond what N5 already covers).12 Each point gets a one-line orientation and a link to its full deep-dive. 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 gives one line on why it is new at N4. The fourth column names the canonical article that teaches the point in full.
The 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 a point off once you have studied its article.
The "~80 points" figure is a textbook consensus, not an official JLPT count. It is also a delta: it counts only what is new at N4, since N4 also tests every N5 grammar point.312 No official N4 grammar list exists. See "What 'N4 grammar' really means" below for why.
Some standalone JLPT references tag a few of these points as N3 (～にちがいない, ～はず, formal ～ようだ, ～らしい, ～ずに, ～間に, and ～ことにする / ～ことになる), even though standard N4 textbooks introduce them. This checklist follows textbook scope and flags each one inline.1
The N4 grammar checklist
Conditionals (と / ば / たら / なら)
The four-way "if" system is the signature N4 challenge. N5 has no productive conditional system, so the full と / ば / たら / なら contrast is new at N4.14
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conditionals overview | Which "if" to use among と, ば, たら, なら | Choosing the right "if" is an N4-defining skill | Japanese Conditionals Overview: と, ば, たら, なら (Which "If" to Use) |
| ば conditional (行けば) | Hypothetical / general "if" | The provisional base (仮定形) is new at N4 | The ば Conditional: The Hypothetical "If" |
| たら conditional (行ったら) | "Once / when / if X happens, then Y" | The most flexible conditional, built on the た-form | The たら Conditional: Once X Happens, Then Y |
| なら conditional (行くなら) | "If you are talking about / if it is the case that X" | The topic-based conditional, new at N4 | The なら Conditional: "If You're Talking About" |
| と conditional (押すと) | Natural, automatic, or inevitable consequence | The "whenever X, then Y" conditional | The と Conditional: Natural and Automatic Consequences |
| Sequence use of と / たら | When と and たら mark a discovered sequence, not a condition | A frequent N4 comprehension trap | When Conditionals Don't Mean "If": The Sequence Use of と and たら |
Te-form and aspect expansions
The te-form itself is N5, but the aspect and benefactive (favor-giving) constructions built on it are new at N4.14
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～てしまう (食べてしまう) | Completion or regret; casual ちゃう / じゃう | Aspect-marking on the te-form | The ～てしまう Form in Japanese: Completion, Regret, and the Casual ちゃう / じゃう |
| ～ておく (買っておく) | Do something in advance, or leave a state as is | The preparatory aspect, new at N4 | The ～ておく Form in Japanese: Doing Something in Advance (and Leaving It Be) |
| ～てある vs ～ている (置いてある) | Resultant state from a deliberate action, implying an agent | The agent-implying resultant state is an N4 addition | ～ている vs ～てある: State, Action, and the Implied Agent |
| ～てくる / ～ていく (増えてくる) | Directional and temporal movement of an action | The auxiliaries go beyond literal "come / go" | The ～てくる / ～ていく Form in Japanese: Directional and Temporal Movement |
| ～ている (progressive vs resultant) | Progressive "is doing" vs resultant "is in a state" | The resultant-state sense is consolidated at N4 | The ～ている Form in Japanese: Progressive vs. Resultant State |
| Benefactive te-form | Doing an action as a favor (～てあげる / ～てくれる / ～てもらう) | Applies giving and receiving to actions | The Te-Form Benefactive: 〜てあげる, 〜てくれる, 〜てもらう |
| ～ないで vs ～なくて | Two negative te-forms: manner / "without" vs cause | The split between the two negative te-forms is an N4 distinction | ～ないで vs ～なくて: When to Use Which Negative Te-Form |
| ～ずに / ～ないで (食べずに) | "Without doing X"; ～ずに is the formal variant | The ～ずに register variant is introduced here; some tag it N3 | ～ずに / ～ないで: How to Say "Without Doing" in Japanese |
Transitivity and voice (自他動詞, passive, causative, potential)
Transitivity means whether a verb takes a direct object, as in "open the door," or describes a change by itself, as in "the door opens." Voice covers forms such as passive, causative, and potential.
Voice and the transitivity-pair system are introduced at N4. Together with conditionals, they form the hardest N4 cluster.14
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transitivity pairs (開ける / 開く) | Paired transitive and intransitive verbs sharing a root | The self / other-move verb pairs are a defining N4 system | Transitivity Pairs in Japanese (自他動詞): Intransitive vs. Transitive |
| Transitivity pairs reference | A reference list of the most common 自他動詞 pairs | Companion reference to the transitivity concept | Japanese Transitivity Pairs List: 50 自他動詞 Pairs (Reference) |
| Potential form (食べられる, 行ける) | Ability or possibility, "can do" | The potential conjugation is new at N4 | Potential Form: ～られる, ～える, できる |
| ～ことができる | Ability via nominalization, "can do X" | An analytic ability pattern; some treat it as late-N5 | ～ことができる: How to Say "Can Do" in Japanese |
| Passive voice (食べられる) | Direct and indirect (adversative) passive | The indirect / suffering passive has no N5 analog | Passive Voice (受身形): Direct and Indirect Passives |
| Causative form (食べさせる) | "Make" or "let" someone do something | The causative conjugation and its make / let split | Causative Form (使役形): How to Say "Make" and "Let" Someone Do |
| ～ようになる / ～ようにする | Change of state or ability vs deliberate effort or habit | The よう-clause connectors are upper-beginner | ～よう: How "Like / So That" Becomes a Clause Connector in Japanese (ようになる, ようにする, ように, ような) |
Modal and obligation endings
Obligation, permission, prohibition, conjecture, and evidential forms are concentrated at N4.14 Here, "evidential" means a form that shows how the speaker knows or judges something, such as by appearance or hearsay.
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～なければならない / ～なきゃ | Obligation, "have to / must"; casual ～なきゃ | The obligation construction is an N4 staple | ～なければならない / ～なきゃ: How to Say "I Have To" or "Must" in Japanese |
| ～なくてもいい | Absence of obligation, "don't have to" | The negative-obligation pattern, new at N4 | ～なくてもいい / ～なくていい: How to Say "You Don't Have To" in Japanese |
| ～てもいい / ～てはいけない | Permission ("may") vs prohibition ("must not") | Core at N4; introduced in Genki I, so some tag it N5 | ～てもいい / ～てはいけない: How to Ask Permission and State Prohibition in Japanese |
| ～たほうがいい / ～ないほうがいい | Advice, "you should / had better (not)" | Advice pattern; tagged N5 by some references | ～たほうがいい / ～ないほうがいい: How to Give Advice ("You Should" / "You Shouldn't") in Japanese |
| ～でしょう / ～だろう | Conjecture and confirmation, "probably / right?" | The conjecture sense is consolidated at N4 | ～でしょう / ～だろう: Conjecture and Confirmation in Japanese |
| ～かもしれない / ～にちがいない | Possibility ("might") vs strong certainty ("must be") | The possibility / certainty pair; ～にちがいない is tagged N3 by some | ～かもしれない vs ～にちがいない: Possibility and Certainty in Japanese |
| ～はず (来るはず) | Logical or expected outcome, "is supposed to" | An expectation modal; tagged N3 by some references | ～はず: How to Express Logical Expectation in Japanese |
| ～そうだ (appearance, おいしそう) | Inference from visual appearance, "looks like" | The appearance evidential, new at N4 | ～そうだ (Appearance): How to Say "Looks Like…" in Japanese |
| ～そうだ (hearsay, 来るそうだ) | Reported information, "I hear that / they say" | The hearsay form, distinct from the appearance one | ～そうだ (Hearsay): How to Say "I Heard That" in Japanese |
| ～ようだ (formal, 雨のようだ) | Evidence-based inference and resemblance, formal | The formal evidential; tagged N3 by some references | ～ようだ (Formal): Resemblance and Evidence-Based Inference in Japanese |
| ～みたい (casual, 雨みたい) | Casual "like / seems like," colloquial counterpart of ようだ | The casual seems-like form, new at N4 | ～みたい (Casual): "Like" and "Seems Like" in Japanese |
| ～らしい (来るらしい) | Hearsay or evidential inference, "apparently" | An evidential suffix; tagged N3 by some references | ～らしい (Evidential): "Seems" and "Apparently" in Japanese |
Volition, intent, and desire
～たい is N5, but third-person desire (～たがる), the plain volitional, and intent constructions are new at N4.14
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～たい (食べたい) | First-person desire, "want to do" | The anchor for the desire cluster; core ～たい is N5 | The ～たい Form: How to Say "Want To Do" in Japanese |
| ～がる / ～たがる (食べたがる) | Third-person attribution of desire, "shows signs of wanting" | The third-person desire transform, new at N4 | ～がる: How to Say Someone "Shows Signs of" a Feeling in Japanese |
| ～がほしい (水がほしい) | Desire for an object, marked with が | Noun-desire; core sense straddles N5 / N4 | ～がほしい: How to Say "Want Something" in Japanese |
| Plain volitional ～よう / ～おう | Plain "let's / I will," casual counterpart of ましょう | The volitional conjugation is new at N4 | The Plain Volitional Form ～よう / ～おう: How to Say "Let's" and "I Will" in Japanese |
| Polite volitional ～ましょう | Polite "let's / shall we" | Paired here with the plain volitional; ～ましょう itself is N5 | The Polite Volitional ～ましょう: How to Say "Let's" in Japanese |
| ～ようと思う (行こうと思う) | Volitional + と思う, "thinking of / intending to do" | Combines the volitional with quotation | ～ようと思う: How to Say "I'm Thinking of Doing X" in Japanese |
| ～つもり (行くつもり) | Firm intention or plan, "intend to" | The intention nominal, including the つもりだった trap | ～つもり: How to State a Firm Intention in Japanese (and the つもりだった Trap) |
| ～ことにする / ～ことになる | Personal decision vs externally arranged outcome | The decision / arrangement contrast; tagged N3 by some | ～ことにする / ～ことになる: Decide vs. It Was Decided |
Comparison, adverbial, and other high-frequency points
This is a broad N4 cluster: simultaneity, listing, concession, cause, purpose, comparison, quotation, nominalization, and clause modification.14
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 | Canonical article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ～ながら (歩きながら) | Simultaneous actions by one subject | The simultaneity sense is the N4 point (concessive ～ながら(も) leans N3) | The ～ながら Form in Japanese: Doing Two Things at Once (and the Concessive ～ながら(も)) |
| ～たり〜たりする (食べたり飲んだりする) | Listing representative actions non-exhaustively | The たり-listing form, new at N4 | The ～たり〜たりする Form: Listing Actions Non-Exhaustively in Japanese |
| ～ても (食べても) | Concessive, "even if / even though" | A core N4 concessive, built on the te-form | ～ても: How to Say "Even If" and "Even Though" in Japanese |
| Question word + ても / でも (何でも) | Free-choice "whatever / whoever / wherever" | The interrogative + でも free-choice pattern | Question Word + ても / でも in Japanese: Whatever, Whoever, Wherever |
| のに (高いのに) | Counter-expectational "even though," with frustration | A contrastive N4 connective | のに: How to Say "Even Though" with Frustration in Japanese (Counter-Expectational) |
| から vs ので | Two "because" connectives: subjective vs softer | から alone is N5, but the contrast and ので are new at N4 | から vs. ので: Cause and Reason in Japanese |
| ～ために (試験のために) | Purpose or beneficiary, "for the sake of" | The purpose nominal, an N4 staple | ～ために: How to Say "For the Sake of" / "In Order To" in Japanese |
| ～ように (見えるように) | Purpose with non-volitional or potential predicates, "so that" | Paired with ようになる / ようにする in the よう cluster | ～ように: How to Say "So That" / "In Order To" in Japanese |
| ～間に (留守の間に) | Time frame within which an action occurs, "during / while" | A temporal subordinator; tagged N3 by some | ～間に (aida ni): During / While |
| ～やすい / ～にくい (食べやすい) | Ease or difficulty of an action; on the masu-stem | The ease / difficulty suffixes, new at N4 | ～やすい / ～にくい / ～づらい: How to Say "Easy to Do" and "Hard to Do" in Japanese |
| Adjective comparisons (より / の方が / 一番) | Comparison and superlative | Basic comparison is N5; consolidated at N4 | Adjective Comparisons in Japanese: より, の方が, 一番 |
| Equality / approximation (と同じくらい, ほど〜ない) | Equality and negative comparison | Extends the N5 comparison base | Equality and Approximation in Japanese: と同じくらい, ぐらい, ほど〜ない |
| Quotation with と (行くと言った) | Direct and indirect quotation with と言う / と思う | Introduced in Genki I, expanded at N4 | Japanese Quotation with と: How to Say What Someone Said or Thought |
| ～という (〜という店) | Naming or defining ("called X") and "the fact that" | The という nominal construction, an N4 staple | Japanese ～という (to iu): Naming, Defining, and "the Fact That" |
| Embedded questions (来るかどうか) | Indirect questions, "whether or not" | Embedding a question inside a clause is an N4 skill | Japanese Embedded Questions: How to Say "Whether or Not" with かどうか and か |
| Relative clauses (noun modification) | Modifying a noun with a whole clause (連体修飾) | Clause-as-modifier is taught at N4 | Japanese Relative Clauses: Modifying a Noun With a Whole Sentence |
| Nominalization (こと vs の) | Turning a clause into a noun, and when each is required | The こと / の nominalizer contrast is an N4 distinction | Nominalization: こと vs. の as Sentence-into-Noun |
| ～ことがある (行ったことがある) | Past experience, "have done X before" | Late elementary; tagged N5 by some, N4 by others | ～ことがある: How to Say "I Have Done X Before" in Japanese |
| Giving and receiving verbs | The three perspective-dependent transfer verbs (あげる / くれる / もらう) | The basic set straddles N5 / N4; keigo variants are N4-and-up | Japanese Giving and Receiving Verbs: あげる, くれる, もらう |
| Imperative form (行け, 行くな) | Plain command (命令形) and plain prohibition (～な) | The blunt imperative and prohibitive are new at N4 | The Japanese Imperative Form (命令形): Plain Commands and Prohibitions |
Three high-frequency areas do not yet have dedicated grammar articles in the index, so they carry no link. Counters and number agreement live under the vocabulary section rather than grammar.
| Grammar point | What it is | Why it is new at N4 |
|---|---|---|
| Adverbs and adverb formation | Frequency and degree adverbs as a group | A wider adverb inventory is expected at N4 |
| こそあど expansion (こんな / そんな / あんな / どんな, こう / そう / ああ / どう) | The demonstrative series beyond これ / それ / あれ / どれ | The full demonstrative set is consolidated at N4 |
| Counters and number agreement | Matching a number to the right counter | A wider counter range is expected at N4 |
What "N4 grammar" really means
The JLPT publishes no official grammar list. Since the 2010 redesign, the administering bodies have not issued "Test Content Specifications" that list vocabulary, kanji, and grammar items. Their rationale is that the test measures communicative competence rather than memorized lists.3 The JLPT now offers only a "Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level" and the test-section composition.35
The "~80 new N4 grammar points" figure is therefore a consensus drawn from standard upper-beginner textbooks, not an official number. Genki II covers Lessons 13 through 23 (The Japan Times),14 and Minna no Nihongo Shokyu II covers Lessons 26 through 50. 3A Corporation positions it at upper-beginner / N4 level.2
Counts vary widely by source, roughly from ~80 to ~180. Some references split each particle or form sense into its own row, while others merge them. References also disagree on a handful of borderline N3 points. No single number is authoritative.3
"New beyond N5" is the key framing. N4 also tests every N5 grammar point, but this checklist counts only what is new at N4. This is the same delta logic used for N4 vocabulary.
Good to know
Don't study this list top to bottom
Standard textbooks teach in a graded sequence (Genki II Lessons 13 through 23; Minna no Nihongo II Lessons 26 through 50), not by reference grouping.12 This checklist groups points by theme for tracking and review, not for first-time learning.
Conditionals and transitivity are the N4 bottleneck
The four-way conditional system (と / ば / たら / なら) and the transitivity-pair and voice cluster (自他動詞, passive, causative) are concentrated in Genki II Lessons 13 through 23. They have no real N5 analog.14 This is where most N4 candidates lose points, so prioritize these rows.
"~80 new" is a delta, not a total
N4 tests N5 grammar too. This checklist counts only what is new at N4, mirroring the "new beyond N5" framing used for N4 vocabulary.3 No official count exists, so treat ~80 as the textbook-consensus delta rather than an authoritative number.
See also
- JLPT N4 Prep Overview: What's on the Test
- JLPT N4's Four Hardest Grammar Hurdles
- JLPT N5 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
- JLPT N3 Grammar Checklist: The Curated List
- The JLPT Explained: Levels, Sections, and What Each Means