JLPT N4 Vocabulary List: ~700 New Words Beyond N5, by Category

The JLPT N4 vocabulary list is the next layer of roughly 700 new words a learner adds on top of the N5 base to reach the upper-beginner level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験 N4). N4 vocabulary is cumulative, so this page foregrounds the words that are genuinely new beyond N5 rather than listing the full inventory again.¹²

Overview

There is no official JLPT vocabulary list. The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) do not publish a "Test Content Specification" that lists vocabulary, kanji, or grammar items. Their stated reason is that the goal of study is communication, not memorizing item lists.³

This absence reflects the 2010 test revision. The pre-2010 test had four levels (1–4) and was based on a published Test Content Specification. The revised five-level test (N1–N5), introduced in 2010, has no such specification.⁴

So the widely used "~1,500 words for N4" and "~700 new" figures are unofficial community estimates reconstructed from the pre-2010 scope, not JEES counts. For how these unofficial counts compare across the whole ladder, see "JLPT Vocabulary by Level: How Many Words for N5 to N1".¹³²

Why this article does not re-explain the exam

For N4 exam sections, scoring, and test dates, see "The JLPT Explained: Levels, Sections, and What Each Means". For general word-count and coverage theory, see "How Many Japanese Words Do You Need to Be Fluent?". This page stays on the N4 word inventory itself.

How N4 builds on N5

N4 vocabulary is cumulative. The commonly cited ~1,500-word figure is the total recognition vocabulary for N4, and it already subsumes the roughly 800 N5 words; the layer that is genuinely new at N4 is about 700 words.¹²

That makes the jump from N5 to N4 roughly a doubling of the cumulative inventory. This page lists only the new ~700, organized by category, and links to the "JLPT N5 Vocabulary List" for the foundational set rather than re-listing it.

The new layer also shifts register. N5 vocabulary is mostly concrete (water, person, eat, big). The N4 additions lean lightly abstract (reason, experience, possibility, freedom), a shift reflected in the category make-up below.¹⁵

Why "~700 new" and not an exact number

The new-at-N4 count differs by source because each list reconstructs the post-2010 scope differently. Jonathan Waller's Tanos sound files contain 602 words. JLPTsensei itemizes 571. Guides round to "~700 new" on a "~1,500 total" frame.²⁵¹ Treat ~700 as an unofficial band of roughly 570–700, framed as a community reconstruction rather than a JEES list.

How to read this list

Each table below lists, where applicable, the kanji form, the kana reading, optional romaji, an English gloss, and (for verbs) the conjugation class. Readings appear in their own column rather than as furigana so the tables stay scannable.

This page shows words new at N4, so common N5 carryovers (水, 人, 食べる, 大きい, and the like) are intentionally absent. The cumulative N4 inventory is the N5 list plus the words below.⁵²

What's new at N4: vocabulary by category

The entries below are representative anchors confirmed as new-at-N4 members on community reference lists, not the full ~700-word inventory.⁵ You can extend each category from the same lists. The example sentences are minimal constructed N4 sentences. The citation on a word marks its N4 membership, not the sentence.

More verbs, including transitive/intransitive pairs (動詞・自他動詞)

N4 is where many transitive/intransitive (自他動詞) pairs first appear together. The distinction is itself an N4-tier grammar topic. A 他動詞 (transitive verb) takes a を-marked object, while its paired 自動詞 (intransitive verb) takes a が-marked subject undergoing the change.⁶⁵

The clearest way to see this is to put the pair members side by side: the intransitive against its transitive partner.

Representative N4 transitive/intransitive pairs, confirmed members:⁵

Intransitive (自動詞)	Reading	Transitive (他動詞)	Reading	Gloss (intr. / tr.)
開く	あく	開ける	あける	to open (by itself) / to open (something)
始まる	はじまる	始める	はじめる	to begin / to start (something)
入る	はいる	入れる	いれる	to enter / to put in
上がる	あがる	上げる	あげる	to rise / to raise
集まる	あつまる	集める	あつめる	to gather (intr.) / to collect

For the pairing mechanics themselves, see "Transitivity Pairs in Japanese (自他動詞): Intransitive vs. Transitive"; this section only enumerates the N4 members.

N4 also adds compound, motion, and everyday-action verbs beyond the pairs.

Representative other N4 verbs, confirmed members:⁵

Kanji form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss	Class
運転する	うんてんする	unten suru	to drive	irregular
遅れる	おくれる	okureru	to be late	ichidan
連れて行く	つれていく	tsurete iku	to take (someone) along	godan (compound)
運ぶ	はこぶ	hakobu	to carry	godan
払う	はらう	harau	to pay	godan
考える	かんがえる	kangaeru	to think	ichidan
変わる	かわる	kawaru	to change	godan
育てる	そだてる	sodateru	to raise (a child)	ichidan

The intransitive member takes が; its transitive partner takes を.

ドアが開あきます。
"The door opens."

私わたしがドアを開あけます。
"I open the door."

授業じゅぎょうが始はじまります。
"The class begins."

友達ともだちを駅えきまで連つれて行いきます。
"I take my friend to the station."

Vocabulary that powers potential and volitional forms

N4 grammar introduces potential usage (the できる-class and the 〜られる pattern) and volitional usage (〜よう). This category gathers the everyday verbs those forms most often attach to. It is a recognition list. The conjugation mechanics belong to the grammar articles.

Representative N4 verbs common in potential or volitional usage, confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
できる	できる	dekiru	to be able to, can
通う	かよう	kayou	to commute, attend regularly
続ける	つづける	tsuzukeru	to continue (something)
決める	きめる	kimeru	to decide
選ぶ	えらぶ	erabu	to choose
間に合う	まにあう	ma ni au	to be in time

日本語にほんごが話はなせます。
"I can speak Japanese."

漢字かんじを書かくことができます。
"I can write kanji."

来週らいしゅう、決きめましょう。
"Let's decide next week."

More い-adjectives and な-adjectives (形容詞・形容動詞)

N4 adds a notable wave of な-adjectives in particular, alongside more い-adjectives. Keep the い versus な split visible because it governs how each word conjugates. An い-adjective ends in い and conjugates directly, while a な-adjective takes な before a noun (複雑な問題) and です/だ to predicate.⁵

Several N4 な-adjectives are 漢語 (Sino-Japanese compounds), such as 自由, 安全, and 複雑. This is part of the shift toward more abstract register. A few of these (自由, 安全) double as nouns and reappear in the abstract-noun category below.

Representative N4 な-adjectives (the larger new wave), confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
自由	じゆう	jiyū	free, freedom
安全	あんぜん	anzen	safe
複雑	ふくざつ	fukuzatsu	complicated
丁寧	ていねい	teinei	polite, careful
十分	じゅうぶん	jūbun	enough, sufficient
不便	ふべん	fuben	inconvenient
簡単	かんたん	kantan	simple, easy

Representative N4 い-adjectives, confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
浅い	あさい	asai	shallow
深い	ふかい	fukai	deep
恥ずかしい	はずかしい	hazukashii	embarrassed, ashamed
悲しい	かなしい	kanashii	sad
厳しい	きびしい	kibishii	strict, severe

ここは安全あんぜんです。
"It is safe here."

この問題もんだいは複雑ふくざつです。
"This problem is complicated."

川かわが浅あさいです。
"The river is shallow."

Adverbs (副詞)

Adverbs barely appear at N5, then expand sharply at N4. This makes them a genuine N4 addition rather than a carryover.

Representative N4 adverbs, confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
かなり	かなり	kanari	considerably, fairly
ぜひ	ぜひ	zehi	by all means, definitely
そろそろ	そろそろ	sorosoro	soon, about time to
きっと	きっと	kitto	surely, certainly
ずっと	ずっと	zutto	the whole time; by far
必ず	かならず	kanarazu	without fail, certainly
ほとんど	ほとんど	hotondo	almost, mostly
非常に	ひじょうに	hijō ni	extremely

そろそろ帰かえります。
"It's about time I went home."

ぜひ来きてください。
"Please do come."

必かならず連絡れんらくします。
"I will contact you without fail."

Conjunctions and connectors (接続詞)

Sentence-linking words make N4 prose flow. Like adverbs, they are effectively new at N4.

Representative N4 conjunctions and connectors, confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
だから	だから	dakara	so, therefore
しかし	しかし	shikashi	however, but
それに	それに	soreni	moreover, besides
または	または	matawa	or, alternatively
けれども	けれども	keredomo	but, although
ところで	ところで	tokorode	by the way
すると	すると	suruto	thereupon, and then

雨あめが降ふりました。だから、出でかけませんでした。
"It rained, so I didn't go out."

勉強べんきょうしました。しかし、合格ごうかくしませんでした。
"I studied; however, I didn't pass."

コーヒーまたはお茶ちゃはいかがですか。
"Would you like coffee or tea?"

Lightly abstract nouns (名詞)

The shift from concrete to abstract is largest in the noun category. These words are still everyday, not academic. They let a learner talk about reasons, plans, and circumstances rather than only objects.

Representative N4 abstract nouns (the largest new bucket), confirmed members:⁵

Kanji / kana form	Reading	Romaji	Gloss
理由	りゆう	riyū	reason
可能性	かのうせい	kanōsei	possibility
自由	じゆう	jiyū	freedom
経験	けいけん	keiken	experience
説明	せつめい	setsumei	explanation
都合	つごう	tsugō	(one's) convenience, circumstances
関係	かんけい	kankei	relationship
意見	いけん	iken	opinion
計画	けいかく	keikaku	plan
反対	はんたい	hantai	opposition, the opposite

理由りゆうを説明せつめいしてください。
"Please explain the reason."

いい経験けいけんになりました。
"It was a good experience."

明日あしたは都合つごうが悪わるいです。
"Tomorrow is inconvenient for me."

N4 kanji coverage

The characters behind these words extend the N5 set into grade-2 and grade-3 jōyō / kyōiku kanji (教育漢字), the early characters Japanese schoolchildren learn.⁷¹

The counts here are unofficial, and the sources frame them inconsistently. JLPTsensei lists "nearly 170 characters specific to the N4 level" (itemized total 167). Migaku gives "roughly 70 more" beyond N5 for "around 170 kanji" total. The two framings disagree on whether ~170 is the new-at-N4 set or the cumulative count.⁸¹ Treat ~170 as a hedged figure either way.

The cumulative N4 kanji requirement is commonly cited as roughly 250 to 320 characters. JLPTsensei states "about 250 kanji in total in order to pass the JLPT N4, including kanji from N5." MLC's Basic Kanji 320 pairs N5 (kanji 1–120) with N4 (kanji 1–320), implying around 320 cumulative.⁸⁷

To drill the characters themselves, see "Grade 1 Jōyō Kanji (小1)", "Grade 2 Jōyō Kanji (小2)", and "Grade 3 Jōyō Kanji (小3)". The JLPT-to-jōyō mapping is approximate, not official.

How to actually learn the new N4 words

For the general method for acquiring vocabulary, see "How to Learn Japanese Vocabulary: A Strategy by Level". For an exam-oriented walkthrough that pairs this inventory with the N4 kanji set, see "JLPT N4 Kanji and Vocabulary Strategy". What is specific to N4 is the pacing and the source material.

At roughly 10 to 15 new cards a day, the ~700 new words take about 7 to 10 weeks, or roughly two months, on top of a solid N5 base. That is arithmetic on the ~700-new figure, not an external target.¹²

The JLPT measures recognition (reading and listening), not production, so passive recognition of these words is the bar for the exam.³ N4 is cumulative, so the test still draws on all ~800 N5 words; the new ~700 are an addition, not a replacement.¹²

Recommended deck and list sources

The de facto standard sources for the new-at-N4 inventory are durable community reference lists, not an official document.³ The verifiable named sources are:

• Jonathan Waller's Tanos N4 list, reconstructed from the pre-2010 Level 3 spec (a 602-word sound-file set on a ~1,500 cumulative frame).²
• JLPTsensei's N4 vocabulary reference, itemizing 571 new-at-N4 entries with readings and glosses.⁵
• MLC's Basic Kanji 320 for the paired N5/N4 kanji footprint.⁷

Community study decks such as Tango N4 and jpdb cover the same scope and are widely used. But they reconstruct the unofficial list rather than reproduce an official one, so treat their totals as conventions, not authority.

Drilling the N4 delta with a spaced-repetition app

Drilling the N4 delta with FSRS-scheduled, level-mapped decks

To drill the N4 layer on top of the N5 base you already hold, J-Compass recommends Amenokori. It maps its decks to JLPT levels, so the N4 set works as its own deck. FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) spaces each new word so the daily review load stays gentle as the deck grows.⁹ For where this fits among other tools, see "Choosing Your First Japanese Resources: Free vs. Paid" and "How to Learn Japanese Vocabulary: A Strategy by Level".

Good to know

Learning transitive/intransitive pairs in isolation instead of as pairs

The classic N4 trap is mixing an intransitive frame with a transitive verb. For example, learners may write 私がドアが開けます with が on both nouns to mean "the door opens." A 自動詞 takes a が-marked subject undergoing the change. A 他動詞 takes a を-marked object. The two correct forms are:⁶⁵

ドアが開あきます。
"The door opens."

私わたしがドアを開あけます。
"I open the door."

Drill these as pairs, never one member in isolation.

Treating ~1,500 as words to learn fresh for N4

The ~1,500 figure is the cumulative total and already includes the roughly 800 N5 words; only about 700 are new at N4. Budgeting study for 1,500 fresh words double-counts the N5 base.¹²

Chasing a single "correct" count

Each list reconstructs the new-at-N4 layer differently (Tanos 602, JLPTsensei 571, "~700" rounded), so no single total is canonical. These are unofficial post-2010 reconstructions. Treating one as authoritative invites wasted effort policing words that another list omits.²⁵¹³

Casual connectors in formal writing

だから and けれども are everyday-register connectors. In essays and reports, their formal-writing counterparts (したがって, and しかし or が) are expected instead. Both casual forms are within the N4 connector set, so the issue is register fit, not level.⁵

Recognition, not production, is the bar

The JLPT tests reading and listening, so passive recognition of the new N4 words is sufficient for the exam. Productive recall, meaning the ability to summon each word in speech or writing, is a separate and higher goal.³

Weight study toward the biggest new categories

な-adjectives, adverbs, connectors, and abstract nouns expand most sharply from N5 to N4, so they reward proportionally more study time than the verbs alone.⁵

See also

• JLPT Vocabulary by Level: How Many Words for N5 to N1
• JLPT N3 Vocabulary List: ~1,800 New Words Beyond N4, by Domain
• Japanese Transitivity Pairs List: 50 自他動詞 Pairs (Reference)
• Suru-Verbs (する-Verbs): How する Turns Nouns Into Verbs
• Word Frequency in Japanese: Why the First 1,000 Words Cover ~80%
• Sentence Mining: Building Your Own Japanese Anki Deck From What You Read

References

Footnotes

1. Migaku. "JLPT Vocabulary Lists: Essential Resources for N5 to N1." https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/jlpt-vocabulary-lists . States the Japan Foundation and JEES "have never published official vocabulary lists for any level"; that N4 "bumps you up to about 1,500 words total"; and that "N4 kanji add roughly 70 more characters, bringing your total to around 170 kanji." Also notes existing lists derive from official practice materials, aligned textbooks, prep-school analysis, and test-taker data, not an official source. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

2. Jonathan Waller. "JLPT Level N4 Resources." tanos.co.uk. https://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt4/ . Community N4 resource set reconstructed from the pre-2010 Test Content Specification (old Level 3). The page frames the cumulative N4 requirement as ~1,500 words and states the N4 vocabulary sound files contain 602 words (the new-at-N4 layer). Downloadable list: http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt4/vocab/VocabList.N4.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. Japan Foundation & Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES). "Is there a 'Test Content Specification'?" JLPT FAQ. https://www.jlpt.jp/e/faq/ . Official statement that no list of vocabulary, kanji, or grammar items is published; in its place the JLPT offers the "Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level," "Composition of Test Sections and Items," and "Sample Questions." ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Japan Foundation & JEES. "New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook: Executive Summary." https://www.jlpt.jp/reference/pdf/guidebook_s_e.pdf . Describes the revised five-level test (N1–N5) introduced in 2010, replacing the former four-level structure (Levels 1–4); the pre-2010 test was based on a published Test Content Specification, the revised test ships none. ↩

5. JLPTsensei. "JLPT N4 Vocabulary List." https://jlptsensei.com/jlpt-n4-vocabulary-list/ . Paginated N4 word reference with readings and English glosses; page footer states "JLPT N4 vocab List total: (571)." Used here to confirm N4 membership of representative entries across categories. This list itemizes only the words newly tested at N4 (it does not re-list the N5 carryover). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

6. Bunpro. "他動詞・自動詞 (Transitive / Intransitive verbs)." Japanese Grammar Explained. https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/transitive-intransitive-verbs . Classifies the transitive/intransitive verb-pair distinction (他動詞 take を, 自動詞 take が) as an N4 grammar point. ↩ ↩²

7. Meguro Language Center (MLC). "Basic Kanji 320 (JLPT N5 & N4 Kanji Book)." https://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/basic_kanji_320.html . States the book covers the 320 essential kanji required for JLPT N5 and N4, with characters 1–120 mapped to N5 and 1–320 mapped to N4. Establishes the small, low-grade kanji footprint behind N4 vocabulary. ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. JLPTsensei. "JLPT N4 Kanji List." https://jlptsensei.com/jlpt-n4-kanji-list/ . States "nearly 170 characters specific to the N4 level" (footer: "JLPT N4 Kanji List total: (167)") and that you must know "about 250 kanji in total in order to pass the JLPT N4, including kanji from N5." ↩ ↩²

9. Amenokori. Product landing page. https://amenokori.com . Mobile Japanese-learning app; built around the FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm; covers JLPT N5–N1 across vocabulary, grammar, and kanji. The kanji section is described as "Every regular-use kanji, sorted by frequency. Browse by JLPT level with on'yomi, kun'yomi, and meanings." ↩