All 62 JLPT N5 grammar points

to be (polite copula) Marks a polite statement of identity or state. The neutral, polite way to say that something is something.

is not (polite negative copula) The polite negative of です. じゃ is a contraction of では; ではありません is slightly more formal.

was (polite past copula) The polite past form of です. The negative past is じゃありませんでした.

topic marker Marks what the sentence is about. Pronounced わ when used as a particle.

subject marker Marks the grammatical subject — who or what does or is something, often introducing new information.

direct object marker Marks the thing the action is done to. Pronounced お.

at / on (a time) Marks a specific point in time when something happens. Not used with relative words like 今日 or 明日.

to (a destination); in/at (existence) Marks the destination of movement verbs, and the location where something exists with います／あります.

toward (direction) Marks the direction of movement, largely interchangeable with に for destinations. Pronounced え.

at / in (location of action) Marks where an action takes place. Contrast with に, which marks existence or destination.

by / with (means or tool) Marks the tool, method, or means used to do something — vehicles, instruments, languages, materials.

possessive / noun connector Connects two nouns: possession, affiliation, or description. N1 modifies N2.

and (complete list); with Joins nouns in an exhaustive list, and also marks the person you do something together with.

and, among others (partial list) Joins nouns in a non-exhaustive list, implying there are more items. Often paired with など (etc.).

also / too Replaces は, が, or を to mean "also". With negatives it means "neither / not either".

question marker Turns a statement into a question. A question mark is optional in Japanese when か is used.

isn't it? (seeking agreement) Sentence-final particle that seeks agreement or confirmation from the listener, softening the statement.

you know (emphasis / new info) Sentence-final particle that asserts or informs — used when telling the listener something they don't know.

from (starting point) Marks the starting point in time or space. Often paired with まで (until).

until / as far as Marks the end point in time or space.

because; so Attaches to the reason clause. The reason comes first, the result follows.

more than (comparison) Marks the thing being compared against: "A is more ... than B".

polite non-past verb (do / don't) The polite present and future verb form, with ません as its negative.

polite past verb (did / didn't) The polite past form of verbs and its negative.

let's ... Suggests doing something together, or volunteers to act.

won't you ...? (invitation) A polite invitation — softer than ましょう because it asks rather than proposes.

shall I ...? (offering) Offers to do something for the listener, or asks for confirmation of a joint plan.

please do ... (request) Polite request using the て-form of a verb.

is doing; resulting state Expresses an action in progress (is doing) or an ongoing state that resulted from an action (is married, knows).

may; it's okay to ... Grants or asks permission. As a question (〜てもいいですか) it asks "may I ...?".

must not ... (prohibition) States that an action is forbidden.

after doing ... Indicates that V2 happens after V1 is completed, with a sense of sequence.

please don't ... A polite negative request.

want to do ... Expresses the speaker's desire to do something. Conjugates like an い-adjective.

have done ... before (experience) States that one has the experience of doing something at least once.

do things like A and B Lists representative actions without implying order or completeness.

while doing ... Two actions by the same person at the same time; the main action is V2.

before ... Indicates that something happens before an action or event.

after ... Indicates that something happens after an action or event.

when ... Means "at the time of ...". The tense of the clause before とき shows whether the action is complete.

there is / there are (existence) あります is for inanimate things and plants; います is for people and animals.

want (a thing) Expresses the speaker's desire for an object. For wanting to do an action, use 〜たい instead.

like / dislike The liked or disliked thing takes が, not を. 大好き means "love".

good at / bad at Describes skill. The skill or object takes が. Use 得意 for one's own strengths to sound humble.

understand / know The thing understood takes が rather than を.

い-adjective conjugation い-adjectives conjugate themselves: 高い → 高くない (not), 高かった (was), 高くなかった (wasn't).

な-adjective usage な-adjectives take な before a noun (静かな町) and conjugate with です like nouns.

to become ... Expresses change of state: 寒くなる (get cold), 元気になる (get well), 先生になる (become a teacher).

please give me ... Used to ask for a thing, especially when shopping or ordering.

only / just Limits the noun: nothing more than this.

about / approximately (amount) Expresses an approximate amount or duration.

around (a point in time) Approximates a point in time (around 3 o'clock). Use ぐらい for amounts, ごろ for clock times.

already / not yet; still もう means "already" with the past tense; まだ means "still" or, with a negative, "not yet".

the most (superlative) Expresses the superlative: among a group, X is the most ...

nominalizer の (doing ... is ...) の turns a verb clause into a noun so it can be liked, be a skill, etc.

probably; right? Expresses probability or conjecture; with rising intonation it asks for agreement.

go (somewhere) to do ... The verb stem plus に行く expresses going somewhere for a purpose.

intend to ... States a firm intention or plan. ないつもり expresses intention not to do.

can; be able to ... Expresses ability or possibility in a slightly formal way.

not very / not much With a negative predicate, あまり means "not very" or "not often".

not at all With a negative predicate, ぜんぜん means "not at all" — a complete negation.

someone / no one; something / nothing Question word + か makes "some-"; question word + も with a negative makes "no-" / "none".