The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4 level is a significant milestone for learners. Moving beyond the absolute basics of N5, N4 requires a broader understanding of everyday Japanese, requiring you to recognize roughly 300 kanji (about 170 new ones, plus the ~100-150 from N5).
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Example from story | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | しゅう | week | 先 週 (last week) | | 末 | まつ / すえ | end | 週末 (weekend) | | 買 | かい | buy | 買い物 (shopping) | | 物 | もの / ぶつ | thing | 荷物 (luggage) | | 便 | べん | convenience | 便利 (convenient) | | 利 | り | profit/benefit | 便利 | | 荷 | に | luggage | 荷物 | | 重 | おも | heavy | 重い | | 軽 | かる | light | 軽い | | 借 | か | borrow | 借りる | | 貸 | か | lend | 貸す | | 返 | かえ | return (object) | 返す | | 急 | いそ | hurry | 急ぐ | | 遅 | おく | late | 遅れる | | 疲 | つか | tired | 疲れる | | 休 | やす | rest | 休む |
Muscle memory plays a massive role in distinguishing similar-looking characters like (to hold) and 待 (to wait). Step 3: Add a "Blind Self-Test" Section
Copy the vocabulary from the PDF into apps like Anki or Quizlet . n4 kanji pdf
Do not try to memorize a kanji's readings in a vacuum. It is incredibly difficult to remember that 生 has over a dozen readings just by staring at a list. Instead, learn words: 先生 (teacher - sensei ), 学生 (student - gakusei ), and 生きる (to live - ikiru ). Spot the Radicals
Provides free downloadable workbooks and official practice tests in PDF format. This lets you see exactly how kanji questions are styled on the real exam.
With a structured study plan and a comprehensive N4 kanji PDF resource at your disposal, you can confidently master the characters needed to pass the JLPT N4 and move one step closer to upper-beginner fluency. To help you get the exact resource you need, tell me: The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4 level
You will see a sentence with a kanji underlined, and you must choose the correct hiragana reading from four options.
Separate Kunyomi (in hiragana) and Onyomi (in katakana). Core Meanings: Keep it brief (1–3 words max).
Put the story on the left page (with furigana above difficult N3+ words) and the vocabulary/quiz on the right page. Add simple clip art of a train, a heavy suitcase, and a sleeping person for visual memory hooks. Step 3: Add a "Blind Self-Test" Section Copy
These 180 kanji combine to form hundreds of essential verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
For every new kanji, create a table row with five specific column headers: Written large enough to see stroke order.
in total. This includes the 100 characters from the N5 level plus roughly 170 new characters specific to the N4 level. 📑 Top N4 Kanji PDF & Study Resources