JLPT N5 Course

A guided path through everything the N5 exam tests — grammar, vocabulary, and kanji — in twelve focused lessons.

Step 0 · Master the kana firstLessons assume you can read ひらがな and カタカナ. Clear both drills to build that base.

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1Being: です and はEvery Japanese conversation starts here: saying what something is. In this lesson you'll meet the polite copula です, its negative and past forms, and the topic particle は that frames every sentence.
2Asking questionsTurn any statement into a question with a single syllable: か. You'll also learn が for pointing out subjects, and the sentence-final ね and よ that give Japanese its conversational rhythm.
3Doing things: を and ますTime for verbs. The polite ます form is the backbone of N5 Japanese, and を marks what the action is done to. Master these and you can describe your whole day.
4Going places: に・へ・でThree little particles carry all of Japanese movement and location: に for destinations and times, へ for direction, and で for where things happen and how you get there.
5Linking nouns: の・と・や・もConnect ideas like a native: の for possession, と for complete lists and companions, や for open-ended lists, and も for 'me too'.
6Invitations & requestsJapanese social life runs on soft suggestions. Learn ましょう for 'let's', ませんか for polite invitations, ましょうか for offers, and ください for asking for things.
7The て-form toolboxThe て-form is the Swiss army knife of Japanese grammar. With it you can request (〜てください), describe ongoing actions (〜ている), give permission (〜てもいい), and forbid (〜てはいけません).
8Wants & likesExpress yourself: 〜たい for actions you want to do, 〜がほしい for things you want, and 〜が好き for what you love. Plus the nominalizer の that lets you like doing things.
9There is, there areあります for things, います for living beings — the existence verbs that power descriptions of any scene. With だけ and the か／も indefinites you can say exactly what's there and what isn't.
10Adjectives & comparisonsい-adjectives conjugate themselves; な-adjectives lean on です. Add 〜くなる for change, より for comparisons, and いちばん for superlatives, and you can describe and rank anything.
11Time & sequencePut events in order: 〜まえに before, 〜あとで and 〜てから after, 〜とき for 'when'. から and まで bracket spans, ごろ and ぐらい approximate, and もう／まだ track what's done.
12Ability, experience & plansThe final stretch: 〜ことができる for what you can do, 〜たことがある for what you've experienced, つもり for plans, でしょう for guesses — plus the frequency adverbs あまり and ぜんぜん that the exam loves.

Reading corner · 読解Put your grammar to work — short graded passages with comprehension questions, just like the exam.

Using the Genki textbook? げんきEvery Genki I chapter mapped to these lessons and themes — open to find your chapter.

Genki L1

New Friends あたらしいともだち

X は Y です, question か, noun の noun, time & numbers

Being: です and は Asking questions Time & Schedule theme

Genki L2

Shopping かいもの

これ・それ・あれ, だれの, も, じゃないです, ね・よ

Being: です and は Linking nouns: の・と・や・も

Genki L3

Making a Date デートのやくそく

ます-form verbs, を・で・に・へ, invitations with ませんか

Doing things: を and ます Going places: に・へ・で Invitations & requests

Genki L4

The First Date はじめてのデート

あります・います, location words, past tense

There is, there are Doing things (ました)

Genki L5

A Trip to Okinawa おきなわりょこう

い/な adjectives, 好き・きらい, ましょう, counting

Adjectives & comparisons Wants & likes Travel & Transport theme

Genki L6

A Day in Robert's Life ロバートさんの一日

て-form, てください, てもいいです, てはいけません

The て-form toolbox

Genki L7

Family Picture かぞくのしゃしん

ている, family terms, describing people

The て-form toolbox (ている) Family & People theme

Genki L8

Barbecue バーベキュー

short forms, ないでください, のが上手です

The て-form toolbox Ability, experience & plans

Genki L9

Kabuki かぶき

past short forms, qualifying nouns, まだ…ていません

Time & sequence (もう・まだ) Ability, experience & plans

Genki L10

Winter Vacation Plans ふゆやすみのよてい

より・いちばん comparisons, つもり, adjective + なる

Adjectives & comparisons Ability, experience & plans (つもり)

Genki L11

After the Vacation やすみのあと

たい, たり…たり, たことがある

Wants & likes (たい) Ability, experience & plans

Genki L12

Feeling Ill びょうき

んです, すぎる, ほうがいいです, ので — mostly N4 territory

Time & sequence (から・まで) Mock exam — test yourself