N5, N4 & N3 Kanji List

Learn all the essential kanji characters for JLPT N5 and N4 levels

Understanding Kanji Readings

On'yomi (音読み)

Chinese-derived readings that were adopted when kanji were imported from China. These readings are typically used when:

Multiple kanji are used together in compound words
The kanji appears with another kanji (e.g., 学校 gakkō - school)
In words of Chinese origin

On'yomi readings are usually written in katakana in dictionaries.

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

Native Japanese readings that were assigned to kanji based on their meaning. These readings are typically used when:

The kanji is used alone as a single character
The kanji is used with hiragana okurigana (e.g., 食べる taberu - to eat)
In native Japanese words

Kun'yomi readings are usually written in hiragana in dictionaries.

Examples

山 (mountain)
On'yomi: サン (san) - Used in: 火山 (kazan, volcano)
Kun'yomi: やま (yama) - Used in: 山 (yama, mountain)

水 (water)
On'yomi: スイ (sui) - Used in: 水曜日 (suiyōbi, Wednesday)
Kun'yomi: みず (mizu) - Used in: 水 (mizu, water)

Complete JLPT N5 Kanji Collection

Total Kanji

100%

N5 Coverage

Reading Types

∞

Practice

Master all essential N5 kanji with On'yomi (Chinese readings) and Kun'yomi (Japanese readings). Each character includes practical examples and meanings to help you understand usage in context.