# Japanese JLPT N5 & N4: Core Kanji Readings, Essential Particles & Verb Conjugations

> On'yomi vs Kun'yomi, particles (は, が, を, に, で, へ, から, まで, より), Godan vs Ichidan verbs, and Te-form, Nai-form, Ta-form, Potential & Volitional conjugations

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- **Level:** basic
- **Languages:** en → en
- **Total Cards:** 32

## Flashcards (32 Cards)

| # | Front (Term / Prompt) | Back (Definition / Answer) | Example | Multiple-Choice Options |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | Why must the present dictionary form (ル形) rather than the past Ta-form precede 前に (mae ni — 'before doing X'), whereas the Ta-form must precede 後で (ato de — 'after doing X')? | Japanese subordinate tense is relative to the main action rather than absolute: before an action occurs, it is still incomplete, so 前に ALWAYS takes the non-past dictionary form even if the whole sentence is in the past (昨日、寝る前に本を読みました — Yesterday, before going to bed, I read a book). Conversely, 後で requires the completed Ta-form (仕事が終わった後で、飲みに行きましょう). |  |  |
| 2 | How do i-adjectives (い形容詞) and na-adjectives (な形容詞) conjugate into present negative, past affirmative, and past negative in plain form? | For i-adjectives (e.g., 高い): drop final い -> 高くない (present negative), 高かった (past affirmative), 高くなかった (past negative), with the irregular いい (good) using the stem よ- (よくない, よかった, よくなかった). For na-adjectives (e.g., 静か[だ]): conjugate like nouns with だ -> 静かじゃない / 静かではない (present negative), 静かだった (past affirmative), 静かじゃなかった (past negative). |  |  |
| 3 | Distinguish the two existence verbs あります (arimasu / ある) and います (imasu / いる) in JLPT N5. | います (いる) is used for animate, living beings capable of autonomous movement (people, animals, insects: 犬がいます). あります (ある) is used for inanimate objects, plants/trees, abstract concepts, and scheduled events (本があります, 桜の木があります, 明日テストがあります). |  |  |
| 4 | How do ～すぎる (sugiru), ～やすい (yasui), and ～にくい (nikui) attach to verbs and adjectives in JLPT N4? | All three attach to the Verb Masu-stem (連用形): 食べすぎる (eat too much), わかりやすい (easy to understand), 歩きにくい (hard to walk on). For adjectives attaching to ～すぎる, drop the final い of i-adjectives or the な of na-adjectives (高すぎる — too expensive; 静かすぎる — too quiet; Note: いい becomes よすぎる). |  |  |
| 5 | In Japanese Kanji, what is the difference between On'yomi (音読み) and Kun'yomi (訓読み), and when is each typically used? | On'yomi (音読み) is the Sino-Japanese reading adapted from historical Chinese pronunciation, commonly used in multi-kanji compound words (熟語, jukugo) such as 水道 (suidō) or 山脈 (sanmyaku), as well as some standalone words (e.g., 本 hon, 駅 eki). Kun'yomi (訓読み) is the native Japanese reading typically used for standalone kanji or kanji with hiragana okurigana (e.g., 水 mizu, 山 yama, 食べる taberu), plus certain native compounds (e.g., 手紙 tegami, 入口 iriguchi). |  |  |
| 6 | How do you form and use the Potential Form (可能形, kanōkei) of verbs in JLPT N4, and what particle shift typically occurs? | Godan verbs shift the final '-u' kana to the '-e' row + る (書く -> 書ける, 話す -> 話せる, 読む -> 読める); Ichidan verbs replace る with られる (食べる -> 食べられる, often shortened to 食べれる in casual speech, called ら抜き言葉); Irregular: する -> できる, 来る (kuru) -> 来られる (korareru). The direct object marker を typically shifts to が (漢字が読めます). |  |  |
| 7 | Compare the three permission/prohibition/obligation patterns using the Te-form: ～てもいいです, ～てはいけません, and ～なければなりません. | 1. Verb-て + もいいです grants or asks permission ('You may do X / Is it okay if I do X?'); 2. Verb-て + はいけません expresses prohibition ('You must not do X'); 3. Verb-ない stem + なければなりません (or ～ないといけません / ～なくてはいけません) expresses obligation ('You must do X' — literally 'If you do not do X, it won't do'). |  |  |
| 8 | What are the phonetic changes that occur with the counter ～つ (hitotsu, futatsu...) vs Sino-Japanese counters like ～本 (-hon, for long cylindrical objects) and ～匹 (-hiki, for small animals)? | Native counters (ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ, よっつ, いつつ, むっつ, ななつ, やっつ, ここのつ, とお) count general objects up to 10 with question word いくつ. Sino-Japanese counters beginning with h- (～本 -hon, ～匹 -hiki, ～杯 -hai) undergo rendaku/gemination: 1 (いっぽん / いっぴき), 3 (さんぼん / さんびき), 6 (ろっぽん / ろっぴき), 8 (はっぽん / はっぴき), 10 (じゅっぽん [or じっぽん] / じゅっぴき [or じっぴき]), and question words 何本 (なんぼん) / 何匹 (なんびき). |  |  |
| 9 | How do you conjugate verbs into the Volitional Form (意向形, ikōkei — casual 'let's...'), and what are its JLPT N4 grammar uses? | Godan verbs shift the final '-u' kana to the '-o' row + う (行く -> 行こう, 話す -> 話そう); Ichidan verbs replace る with よう (食べる -> 食べよう); Irregular: する -> しよう, 来る (kuru) -> 来よう (koyō). Beyond casual 'let's' (= ましょう), Volitional + と思っています expresses an ongoing intention/plan ('I am thinking of doing X'), and Volitional + とする means 'to try to / be about to do X'. |  |  |
| 10 | How do you form the Imperative (命令形, meireikei) and Prohibitive (禁止形, kinshikei) forms in JLPT N4? | For Imperative (command): Godan shifts the final '-u' kana to the '-e' row (書く -> 書け, 走る -> 走れ); Ichidan replaces る with ろ (食べる -> 食べろ, 見る -> 見ろ); Irregular: する -> しろ (or せよ), 来る (kuru) -> 来い (koi). For Prohibitive ('Don't do X!'): attach な directly to the plain dictionary form of ANY verb (書くな, 食べるな, するな, 来るな). |  |  |
| 11 | In JLPT N4, compare the four conditional forms: ～と (to), ～ば (ba), ～たら (tara), and ～なら (nara). | 1. ～と: Inevitable natural consequence, machine operation, or habitual 'whenever' (cannot be followed by volition, requests, or commands!). 2. ～ば (e-row + ば): General hypothetical or proverb condition focusing on the condition needed for a good result. 3. ～たら (Ta-form + ら): Most versatile ('if/when'), emphasizes completion of condition first and freely allows commands/requests in the main clause. 4. ～なら: Contextual/topic-based 'if it is the case that X (as you just mentioned)...'. |  |  |
| 12 | In JLPT N4, how do 間 (aida) and 間に (aida ni) differ in temporal clauses? | A の間, B indicates that action/state B continues throughout the entire duration of state A (夏休みの間、毎日泳ぎました — During the entire summer vacation, I swam every day). A の間に, B indicates that a punctual event B occurs at some point within the time span while state A holds (お母さんが昼寝をしている間に、出かけました — While Mom was taking a nap, I went out). |  |  |
| 13 | What are the three main classifications of Japanese verbs, and how do you distinguish Ichidan (Group 2) verbs from Godan (Group 1) verbs that end in -iru or -eru? | 1. Godan / Group 1 (五段動詞, u-verbs whose stem vowel shifts across all 5 kana rows); 2. Ichidan / Group 2 (一段動詞, ru-verbs ending in an -iru or -eru sound where final る drops cleanly); 3. Irregular / Group 3 (する and 来る / くる). Verbs ending in -aru, -uru, or -oru (except する/来る) are always Godan. While most -iru/-eru verbs are Ichidan (食べる taberu, 見る miru), common Godan verbs with -iru/-eru sounds—such as 帰る (kaeru — return), 走る (hashiru — run), 入る (hairu — enter), 知る (shiru — know), 切る (kiru — cut), and 要る (iru — need)—conjugate as Godan (帰らない, 走って). |  |  |
| 14 | How do you connect two or more i-adjectives, na-adjectives, or nouns in a single sentence using their Te-forms? | For i-adjectives, replace the final い with くて (安くておいしい — cheap and delicious; いい becomes よくて). For na-adjectives and nouns, attach で to the stem/noun (静かで便利な町 — a quiet and convenient town; 日本人で大学生です). |  |  |
| 15 | Compare the three JLPT N4 auxiliary verbs attached to the Te-form: ～てみる, ～てしまう, and ～ておく. | 1. Verb-て + みる: To try doing something to see how it is (この靴を履いてみてもいいですか). 2. Verb-て + しまう (casual: ～ちゃう / ～じゃう): Either complete/total finishing of an action (全部食べてしまった) or an unintended action with regret (パスポートを忘れてしまいました). 3. Verb-て + おく (casual: ～とく): To do something in advance as preparation (旅行の前にホテルを予約しておきます) or leave something in a state. |  |  |
| 16 | How do the location particles に (ni) and で (de) differ when marking places in Japanese? | に (ni) marks the static location of existence with あります / います or 住んでいます (e.g., 部屋に猫がいます — There is a cat in the room) as well as a point of arrival/destination. で (de) marks the active venue where a dynamic action or event occurs (e.g., 図書館で勉強します — I study at the library; 会議室で会議があります — An event takes place in the meeting room). |  |  |
| 17 | What are the core JLPT N5/N4 functions of the Te-form + います (～ている)? | 1. Ongoing progressive action with durative verbs (今、ご飯を食べています — I am eating right now); 2. Habitual or repeated action/occupation (毎朝ジョギングをしています; 銀行で働いています); 3. Resulting state following an instantaneous punctual change-of-state verb (結婚しています — is married; 窓が開いています — the window is open; 知っています — knows [Note: negative is 知りません]). |  |  |
| 18 | Besides marking a direct object, what special movement usage does the particle を (wo/o) have with intransitive motion verbs in JLPT N5/N4? | With intransitive movement verbs, を marks either: 1. The point of departure/exiting (バスを降りる — get off the bus; 家を出る — leave home; 大学を卒業する — graduate from university), or 2. The space/medium traversed (公園を散歩する — walk through the park; 橋を渡る — cross the bridge; 空を飛ぶ — fly through the sky). |  |  |
| 19 | Compare the directional particles に (ni) and へ (e) when used with motion verbs like 行く (iku), 来る (kuru), and 帰る (kaeru). | に (ni) emphasizes the specific final destination or point of contact/arrival (東京に着く requires に, never へ). へ (e, written with hiragana へ) emphasizes the general direction or heading toward which one sets out (東へ進む — head toward the east), and unlike に, へ can combine directly with の (東京への出張 — a business trip to Tokyo). |  |  |
| 20 | Why do verbs like 見える (mieru) and 聞こえる (kikoeru) differ from the regular potential forms 見られる (mirareru) and 聞ける (kikeru)? | 見える ('to be visible') and 聞こえる ('to be audible') are spontaneous intransitive verbs describing sights or sounds naturally reaching the senses without effort (窓から富士山が見える — Mt. Fuji can be seen from the window). 見られる and 聞ける express active opportunity or capability created by conditions (この映画館でその映画が見られる — You can watch that movie at this theater). |  |  |
| 21 | Distinguish ～たい (tai) vs ～たがる (tagaru) when expressing desires in JLPT N5/N4. | Verb masu-stem + たい (conjugated as an i-adjective: 行きたい, 行きたくない) expresses the first-person speaker's own desire or asks the second-person listener directly in a question. Because Japanese grammar restricts directly asserting a third person's private internal feelings, third-person desires use ～たがる / ～たがっている (verb showing outward signs of wanting: 子供が新しいおもちゃを欲しがっている / 行きたがっている) or ～たいと言っている. |  |  |
| 22 | How do you express past experience ('I have done X before') vs listing multiple sample actions ('do things like X and Y') using the Ta-form in JLPT N5? | 1. Past experience: Verb Ta-form + ことがあります (富士山に登ったことがあります — I have climbed Mt. Fuji before; Note: Present dictionary form + ことがあります means 'sometimes happens'). 2. Non-exhaustive action listing: Verb-たり + Verb-たり + します (休日は本を読んだり、映画を見たりします — On holidays I do things like read books and watch movies). |  |  |
| 23 | How do you form the Negative Nai-form (ない形) of Godan (Group 1), Ichidan (Group 2), and Irregular verbs, including the two special N5 exceptions? | For Godan verbs, shift the final '-u' kana to the '-a' row and add ない (書く -> 書かない, 読む -> 読まない), EXCEPT verbs ending in hiragana う shift to わ instead of あ (買う -> 買わない, 会う -> 会わない), and the existence verb ある becomes ない (never あらない). For Ichidan, replace る with ない (食べる -> 食べない). For Irregular: する -> しない, 来る (kuru) -> 来ない (konai). |  |  |
| 24 | Summarize the four euphonic (音便, onbin) Te-form (て形) conjugation rules for Godan (Group 1) verbs, including the 行く exception. | 1. Verbs ending in う, つ, る → って (買う → 買って, 待つ → 待って, 取る → 取って); 2. Verbs ending in む, ぶ, ぬ → んで (読む [yomu] → 読んで [yonde], 飲む [nomu] → 飲んで [nonde], 遊ぶ → 遊んで, 死ぬ → 死んで); 3. Verbs ending in く → いて (書く → 書いて) and ぐ → いで (泳ぐ → 泳いで), with the exception 行く (iku) → 行って (itte); 4. Verbs ending in す → して (話す → 話して). |  |  |
| 25 | Distinguish the four JLPT N4 expressions of appearance/hearsay: そうだ (manner/appearance), そうだ (hearsay), ようだ (sensory judgment), and らしい (evidential conjecture). | 1. Conjectural appearance (～そうだ): attaches to the verb masu-stem or adjective stem without い/だ (雨が降りそうだ, おいしそうだ, 静かそうだ; exceptions: いい → よさそうだ, ない → なさそうだ) to mean 'looks like / appears about to'. 2. Hearsay (～そうだ): attaches to the plain form (retaining だ after nouns/na-adjectives: 明日雨が降るそうだ, 静かだそうだ) to mean 'I heard that...'. 3. ～ようだ (or ～みたいだ; Noun + の + ようだ, Na-adj + な + ようだ): speaker's inference from sensory/contextual evidence. 4. ～らしい: conjecture grounded in external information or typicality. |  |  |
| 26 | What are the special irregular readings for days of the month (1st through 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th) tested heavily on JLPT N5? | 1st: ついたち (一日); 2nd: ふつか (二日); 3rd: みっか (三日); 4th: よっか (四日); 5th: いつか (五日); 6th: むいか (六日); 7th: なのか (七日); 8th: ようか (八日); 9th: ここのか (九日); 10th: とおか (十日); 14th: じゅうよっか (十四日); 20th: はつか (二十日); 24th: にじゅうよっか (二十四日). |  |  |
| 27 | Compare the two JLPT N5/N4 causal conjunctions から (kara) and ので (node). | Both connect a reason/cause clause to a result ('because...'). から emphasizes the speaker's subjective reason or judgment and can freely precede commands, requests, or volitional invitations (危ないから、触らないでください). ので (attaching as なので [na node] after plain nouns and na-adjectives: 静かなので, 日曜日なので) presents an objective, polite cause-and-effect relationship and is preferred for courteous explanations or apologies (電車が遅れたので、遅刻しました). |  |  |
| 28 | In JLPT N5/N4, what is the grammatical difference between the topic marker は (wa) and the subject marker が (ga)? | は (wa) marks the overarching discourse topic ('as for X...'), known information, or a contrast between two items. が (ga) identifies the specific grammatical subject of an action/state, introduces new or unknown information, follows question words as subjects (誰が来ますか — Who is coming?), and marks objects of ability/desire/liking (日本語がわかる, 寿司が好きだ). |  |  |
| 29 | What is the difference between までに (made ni) and まで (made) in JLPT N4 time expressions? | まで ('until/up to') marks the continuous endpoint of a durative action or state (5時まで働きます — I work continuously until 5:00). までに ('by [a deadline]') marks the deadline by which a single one-off punctual action must be completed (金曜日までにレポートを出してください — Please submit the report by Friday). |  |  |
| 30 | In Japanese comparative structures (A は B より ... / A と B とどちらが ...), how do より (yori) and のほうが (no hō ga) function? | より marks the standard of comparison ('than B'), while のほうが marks the side that has more of the quality ('A is more...'): 東京は大阪より大きいです (Tokyo is bigger than Osaka) or 大阪より東京のほうが大きいです. When comparing two options in a question, always use どちら (or どっち) regardless of whether the items are people, places, or things (コーヒーと紅茶とどちらが好きですか). |  |  |
| 31 | In JLPT N4, contrast how Transitive (他動詞, tadōshi) and Intransitive (自動詞, jidōshi) verbs pair with ～ている vs ～てある (e.g., 開ける vs 開く). | Intransitive Verb + ている describes an observed resulting state without implying an agent (窓が開いています — The window is open). Transitive Verb + てある emphasizes that someone intentionally performed the action in advance as preparation; the underlying object is commonly marked with が/は when describing the state of the item (窓が開けてあります — The window has been opened on purpose), or with を when foregrounding preparatory completion (ホテルを予約してあります). |  |  |
| 32 | How do you express 'do not need to do X' (lack of obligation) in JLPT N5/N4? | Take the Nai-form, drop the final い, and add くてもいいです (Verb-なくてもいいです, e.g., 靴を脱がなくてもいいです — You don't have to take off your shoes; 明日は来なくてもいいです — You don't need to come tomorrow). |  |  |

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