How to Study JLPT N5 Kanji: A 10-Week Plan

How many kanji do you need for N5?

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test has five levels, from N5 (the easiest) to N1 (the hardest). The official description of N5 says test takers should be able to read typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji.

Here is the important part: the JLPT does not publish an official kanji list. Before the test was revised in 2010, test specifications included kanji and vocabulary lists, but the organizers stopped publishing them. The lists you see online are compiled by teachers and publishers, largely based on the old ones. Commonly cited study lists include around 100 N5 kanji, and that is a sensible target. Our JLPT N5 kanji list collects a beginner set like this, and the plan below covers 100 kanji.

Before week 1: get comfortable with kana

Spend a week or two on hiragana and katakana before you start, if you have not already. Kanji readings are written in kana, so this makes every later week easier. Our guide on how to learn hiragana fast has a short plan, and the same approach works for katakana.

The 10-week plan

Each week groups kanji by theme, so the characters support each other and you can start reading useful words right away. The weekly load is 10 to 15 new kanji, about two or three per study day.

Every character in the table has its own page with readings, example words and stroke order. Browse all kanji, or start with 日, which appears in more N5 words than you might expect. The color kanji in week 6 are explained in colors in Japanese.

A typical study week

1. Days 1 to 5: do your reviews first, then learn two or three new kanji. For each one, learn the meaning, one or two example words, and the stroke order.
2. Day 6: no new kanji. Review the whole week, write each new kanji from memory, and read the example words aloud.
3. Day 7: a light day. Do due reviews only, or read a short beginner text and circle the kanji you recognize.

On a normal day this is roughly 15 to 30 minutes. If reviews start taking much longer, slow down the new kanji for a few days rather than skipping reviews.

How to study each kanji

• Meaning first. Give each kanji a short English keyword, such as mountain for 山.
• Readings through words. Learn the reading used in a common word instead of every listed reading. The onyomi vs kunyomi guide explains why one kanji has several.
• Parts and stroke order. Notice repeated components and write each new kanji a few times with the stroke order lookup open.
• Review on a schedule. Use spaced repetition so older kanji come back just before you would forget them.

Weeks 9 and 10: review and test practice

The last two weeks are for consolidation. Go back through each theme, paying extra attention to characters you keep missing. Look for pairs that are easy to confuse, such as 右 and 左, 人 and 入, or 土 and 士, and practice telling them apart.

This is also a good time to work through the official sample questions on the JLPT website, so you know how kanji are tested. N5 questions ask you to choose the correct reading of a word written in kanji, or the correct kanji for a word written in hiragana. The test is multiple choice, so there is no handwriting section, but writing practice still helps you recognize characters quickly.

Adjusting the plan

• Short on time? Stretch each week's group over two weeks. The order still works.
• Moving faster? Combine weeks, but keep the review days. Skipping review is where most plans fall apart.
• Ready for more? Once N5 feels solid, our JLPT N4 kanji study plan picks up where this one ends.
• Remember the rest of N5. Kanji is only one part of the test. Vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening matter just as much, so pair this plan with a beginner textbook or course. Our guide on how to pass JLPT N5 covers the full test format and pass marks.

Write your test date on the calendar and count back. If you have more than ten weeks, use the extra time for slower weeks and more reading, not more new kanji.

Moji follows the same idea on your phone: it tracks your JLPT N5 progress, schedules spaced repetition reviews, and adds Lock Screen widgets, guided stroke-order writing and radical practice, so a few minutes a day keep the plan moving.