Studying for the JLPT N5? You're not alone. Most learners struggle with grammar — not because it's hard, but because it's rarely explained in a way that actually makes sense.
The truth? JLPT N5 grammar is your foundation. Master these 25 essential points and you'll be able to hold conversations, understand anime without subtitles, and pass the exam with confidence.
This isn't just a grammar list — it's your shortcut to sounding like you actually know Japanese.
Table of Contents
- Why This Grammar List Will Transform Your Japanese
- How to Use This Guide
- Essential Particles (The Building Blocks)
- Core Sentence Structures
- Verb Conjugations You Must Know
- Time and Frequency Expressions
- Question Formation
- Connecting Ideas
- Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Quick Practice Tips
Why This Grammar List Will Transform Your Japanese
Think of JLPT N5 grammar as your Japanese foundation. Without these basics, everything else crumbles. But here's what makes this different from other grammar lists: every point here appears in daily conversation.
These aren't just exam questions — they're grammar patterns you'll actually use to:
- Introduce yourself to Japanese colleagues
- Ask for directions in Shibuya
- Talk about your hobbies and plans
- Express what you like and dislike
Ready? Let's dive in.
How to Use This Guide
Each grammar point follows this structure:
- What it means (in plain English)
- How to form it (step-by-step)
- Real examples you'll actually use
- Common mistake to avoid
Don't try to memorize everything at once. Pick 2-3 points, practice them for a few days, then add more. Quality over quantity always wins.
Essential Particles (The Building Blocks)
1. は (wa) - Topic Particle
What it means: "As for..." or "Speaking of..."
How to use it: [Topic] は [Comment about topic]
Examples:
- 私は田中です (Watashi wa Tanaka desu) - "I am Tanaka"
- 今日は暑いです (Kyō wa atsui desu) - "Today is hot"
- この本は面白いです (Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu) - "This book is interesting"
Common mistake: Writing わ instead of は. Remember: the topic particle は is always written with hiragana は but pronounced "wa."
2. が (ga) - Subject Particle
What it means: Marks the grammatical subject (who/what is doing the action)
How to use it: [Subject] が [Verb/Adjective]
Examples:
- 雨が降っています (Ame ga futte imasu) - "Rain is falling"
- 犬がいます (Inu ga imasu) - "There is a dog"
- 誰が来ますか？(Dare ga kimasu ka?) - "Who is coming?"
Common mistake: Confusing が with は. Use が when introducing new information or answering "who/what" questions.
3. を (o) - Object Particle
What it means: Marks what receives the action (direct object)
How to use it: [Object] を [Action verb]
Examples:
- コーヒーを飲みます (Kōhii o nomimasu) - "I drink coffee"
- 本を読みます (Hon o yomimasu) - "I read books"
- 映画を見ます (Eiga o mimasu) - "I watch movies"
Common mistake: Using が instead of を for objects. Remember: を for things being acted upon.
4. に (ni) - Direction/Time/Location Particle
What it means: "to," "at," "in," "on" (direction, specific time, location of existence)
How to use it: Various patterns depending on meaning
Examples:
- 学校に行きます (Gakkō ni ikimasu) - "I go to school"
- 7 時に起きます (Shichiji ni okimasu) - "I wake up at 7 o'clock"
- 机の上に本があります (Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu) - "There's a book on the desk"
Common mistake: Using で instead of に for destinations. Use に for "going to" somewhere.
5. で (de) - Location/Method Particle
What it means: Where an action takes place, or how something is done
How to use it: [Location/Method] で [Action]
Examples:
- レストランで食べます (Resutoran de tabemasu) - "I eat at a restaurant"
- 日本語で話します (Nihongo de hanashimasu) - "I speak in Japanese"
- 車で行きます (Kuruma de ikimasu) - "I go by car"
Common mistake: Using に instead of で for action locations. Remember: で for where you DO things.
6. の (no) - Possessive/Descriptive Particle
What it means: Shows possession or describes/modifies nouns
How to use it: [Modifier] の [Modified noun]
Examples:
- 私の本 (Watashi no hon) - "My book"
- 日本の料理 (Nihon no ryōri) - "Japanese food"
- 先生の車 (Sensei no kuruma) - "Teacher's car"
Common mistake: Overusing の in long chains. Keep it simple: usually 2-3 の maximum.
Core Sentence Structures
7. です/である - Copula (To Be)
What it means: "am," "is," "are"
How to use it: [Noun/Adjective] です (polite) / である (casual written)
Examples:
- 学生です (Gakusei desu) - "I am a student"
- きれいです (Kirei desu) - "It's pretty"
- 元気です (Genki desu) - "I'm fine/healthy"
Common mistake: Using です with i-adjectives incorrectly. Say 高いです (takai desu), not 高いですです.
8. あります/います - Existence Verbs
What it means: "there is/are," "to exist," "to have"
How to use it:
- あります for inanimate objects
- います for animate beings
Examples:
- 机があります (Tsukue ga arimasu) - "There is a desk"
- 犬がいます (Inu ga imasu) - "There is a dog"
- 時間があります (Jikan ga arimasu) - "I have time"
Common mistake: Using います for objects or あります for people/animals.
9. Present Tense Verbs
What it means: Actions happening now or regularly
How to form it:
- う-verbs: Replace う with います
- る-verbs: Replace る with ます
Examples:
- 食べます (tabemasu) - "eat/will eat"
- 飲みます (nomimasu) - "drink/will drink"
- 行きます (ikimasu) - "go/will go"
Common mistake: Confusing う and る verbs. Memorize common ones by pattern.
10. Past Tense Verbs
What it means: Actions that happened in the past
How to form it: Replace ます with ました
Examples:
- 食べました (tabemashita) - "ate"
- 行きました (ikimashita) - "went"
- 見ました (mimashita) - "saw/watched"
Common mistake: Forgetting to change present to past when talking about completed actions.
11. Negative Present
What it means: Actions not happening now or regularly
How to form it: Replace ます with ません
Examples:
- 食べません (tabemasen) - "don't eat/won't eat"
- 行きません (ikimasen) - "don't go/won't go"
- 分かりません (wakarimasen) - "don't understand"
Common mistake: Using じゃありません for verbs. That's only for です sentences.
12. Negative Past
What it means: Actions that didn't happen in the past
How to form it: Replace ます with ませんでした
Examples:
- 食べませんでした (tabemasendeshita) - "didn't eat"
- 行きませんでした (ikimasendeshita) - "didn't go"
- 見ませんでした (mimasendeshita) - "didn't see/watch"
Common mistake: Using ませんだった instead of ませんでした.
Verb Conjugations You Must Know
13. て-form (Connecting Form)
What it means: Connects verbs, makes requests, shows ongoing actions
How to form it:
- Complex rules, but essential patterns:
- 食べて (tabete) from 食べる
- 行って (itte) from 行く
- 読んで (yonde) from 読む
Examples:
- 食べてください (Tabete kudasai) - "Please eat"
- 食べています (Tabete imasu) - "I am eating"
- 食べてから、映画を見ます (Tabete kara, eiga o mimasu) - "After eating, I watch a movie"
Common mistake: Memorizing て-form rules takes time. Focus on common verbs first.
14. ～ている (Present Progressive/State)
What it means: Ongoing actions or current states
How to form it: て-form + います
Examples:
- 食べています (Tabete imasu) - "I am eating"
- 住んでいます (Sunde imasu) - "I live (am living)"
- 知っています (Shitte imasu) - "I know"
Common mistake: Using simple present instead of ～ている for ongoing states like "living somewhere."
15. ～たい (Want to)
What it means: Express desires and wants
How to form it: Replace ます with たい
Examples:
- 食べたいです (Tabetai desu) - "I want to eat"
- 行きたくないです (Ikitakunai desu) - "I don't want to go"
- 映画を見たかったです (Eiga o mitakatta desu) - "I wanted to watch a movie"
We dive deep into this grammar pattern in our complete guide to the たい form – check it out for advanced usage tips and cultural insights!
Time and Frequency Expressions
16. Time Expressions with に
What it means: Specific times when things happen
How to use it: [Specific time] に
Examples:
- 6 時に起きます (Rokuji ni okimasu) - "I wake up at 6 o'clock"
- 月曜日に会議があります (Getsuyōbi ni kaigi ga arimasu) - "There's a meeting on Monday"
- 来年に日本に行きます (Rainen ni Nihon ni ikimasu) - "I'm going to Japan next year"
Common mistake: Using に with relative time words like 今日 (today) or 明日 (tomorrow). Say 今日行きます, not 今日に行きます.
17. から (from/since) and まで (until/to)
What it means: Starting and ending points in time or space
How to use it:
- [Start point] から
- [End point] まで
- [Start] から [End] まで
Examples:
- 9 時から働きます (Kuji kara hatarakimasu) - "I work from 9 o'clock"
- 5 時まで勉強します (Goji made benkyō shimasu) - "I study until 5 o'clock"
- 月曜日から金曜日まで学校があります (Getsuyōbi kara kin'yōbi made gakkō ga arimasu) - "There's school from Monday to Friday"
Common mistake: Forgetting まで when you mean "from X to Y" - include both から and まで.
18. Frequency Adverbs
What it means: How often things happen
Common ones:
- いつも (itsumo) - always
- よく (yoku) - often
- ときどき (tokidoki) - sometimes
- あまり + negative (amari) - not very often
- 全然 + negative (zenzen) - never/not at all
Examples:
- いつもコーヒーを飲みます (Itsumo kōhii o nomimasu) - "I always drink coffee"
- あまりテレビを見ません (Amari terebi o mimasen) - "I don't watch TV very often"
- 全然分かりません (Zenzen wakarimasen) - "I don't understand at all"
Common mistake: Using あまり or 全然 without negative verbs.
Question Formation
19. か - Question Particle
What it means: Turns statements into yes/no questions
How to use it: [Statement] + か
Examples:
- 学生ですか？ (Gakusei desu ka?) - "Are you a student?"
- 映画を見ますか？ (Eiga o mimasu ka?) - "Do you watch movies?"
- おいしかったですか？ (Oishikatta desu ka?) - "Was it delicious?"
Common mistake: Forgetting か at the end of questions in formal speech.
20. Question Words
What it means: Ask for specific information
Common question words:
- 何 (nani/nan) - what
- 誰 (dare) - who
- どこ (doko) - where
- いつ (itsu) - when
- どう/どうですか (dō/dō desu ka) - how
- どれ (dore) - which one
- いくら (ikura) - how much
- いくつ (ikutsu) - how many/how old
Examples:
- 何を食べますか？ (Nani o tabemasu ka?) - "What do you eat?"
- どこに住んでいますか？ (Doko ni sunde imasu ka?) - "Where do you live?"
- いくらですか？ (Ikura desu ka?) - "How much is it?"
Common mistake: Using なん vs 何 incorrectly. Use なん before だ/です and counters.
Connecting Ideas
21. そして (and then), でも (but), それから (after that)
What it means: Connect sentences and ideas
How to use them:
- そして - adds information or sequence
- でも - shows contrast
- それから - shows sequence/time
Examples:
- 朝ご飯を食べます。そして、学校に行きます。(I eat breakfast. And then, I go to school.)
- 日本語は難しいです。でも、面白いです。(Japanese is difficult. But it's interesting.)
- 宿題をします。それから、テレビを見ます。(I do homework. After that, I watch TV.)
Common mistake: Starting sentences with these connectors too frequently. Vary your sentence patterns.
22. ～と (when/if, and, with)
What it means: Multiple meanings depending on context
How to use it:
- Conditional: [Condition] と [Result]
- "And" with nouns: [Noun] と [Noun]
- "With": [Person] と [Action]
Examples:
- 雨が降ると、家にいます (Ame ga furu to, ie ni imasu) - "When it rains, I stay home"
- りんごとオレンジを買います (Ringo to orenji o kaimasu) - "I buy apples and oranges"
- 友達と映画を見ます (Tomodachi to eiga o mimasu) - "I watch movies with friends"
Common mistake: Overusing と for complex conditionals. Keep it simple at N5 level.
Advanced N5 Points
23. Adjective Types and Conjugation
What it means: い-adjectives and な-adjectives behave differently
い-adjectives:
- Present: 高いです (takai desu) - "expensive"
- Past: 高かったです (takakatta desu) - "was expensive"
- Negative: 高くないです (takakunai desu) - "not expensive"
- Past negative: 高くなかったです (takakunakatta desu) - "wasn't expensive"
な-adjectives:
- Present: きれいです (kirei desu) - "pretty"
- Past: きれいでした (kirei deshita) - "was pretty"
- Negative: きれいじゃないです (kirei ja nai desu) - "not pretty"
- Past negative: きれいじゃなかったです (kirei ja nakatta desu) - "wasn't pretty"
Common mistake: Treating な-adjectives like い-adjectives. Remember: きれいでした, not きれいかったです.
24. ～ませんか (Invitations)
What it means: Polite invitations "Would you like to...?"
How to form it: Replace ます with ませんか
Examples:
- 一緒に映画を見ませんか？ (Issho ni eiga o mimasen ka?) - "Would you like to watch a movie together?"
- コーヒーを飲みませんか？ (Kōhii o nomimasen ka?) - "Would you like to drink coffee?"
- 今度、食事をしませんか？ (Kondo, shokuji o shimasen ka?) - "Would you like to have a meal sometime?"
Common mistake: Using ませんか for offers you're making to yourself. Use ましょう instead.
25. ～ましょう (Let's)
What it means: Suggestions for group actions "Let's..."
How to form it: Replace ます with ましょう
Examples:
- 一緒に勉強しましょう (Issho ni benkyō shimashō) - "Let's study together"
- 映画を見ましょう (Eiga o mimashō) - "Let's watch a movie"
- 行きましょう (Ikimashō) - "Let's go"
Common mistake: Using ましょう when asking someone else to do something alone. Use ませんか for invitations.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The Big 5 N5 Grammar Mistakes
-
Particle confusion - Practice particle drills daily. Focus on は/が, に/で, and を/が distinctions.
-
Adjective conjugation errors - Make flashcards for い vs な adjective patterns.
-
Verb tense mixing - Pay attention to time markers in sentences.
-
Question formation - Practice turning statements into questions systematically.
-
Overcomplicating - N5 grammar should feel natural. If it's too complex, you're probably overthinking it.
Quick Practice Tips
Focus on quality over quantity – master 2-3 grammar points completely before moving on. Here's what works:
Daily (just 10 minutes):
- Pick 3 grammar points from this list
- Make 2 real-life example sentences with each
- Test yourself with flashcards or our app
Weekly check-in:
- Write a short paragraph using the week's grammar
- Identify your trouble spots and review them
The key? Use these patterns in context, don't just memorize rules. Every grammar point here appears in real conversations, so practice them the way you'd actually use them.
Ready to Master N5 Grammar?
These 25 grammar points form the foundation of Japanese communication. They're not just test questions – they're your toolkit for real conversations, understanding Japanese media, and expressing yourself naturally.
The key isn't memorizing every rule perfectly. It's understanding how these patterns work together to create meaning. Start with the basics, practice daily, and before you know it, these grammar structures will feel as natural as English.
Remember: every advanced Japanese speaker started exactly where you are now. These fundamentals got them there, and they'll get you there too.
頑張って！(Ganbatte! - You've got this!)
Ready to practice? Try our interactive grammar exercises in the Benkyou Mashou app, where you can test your knowledge with real JLPT N5 questions and track your progress.