JLPT N5 Grammar List: All 80 Patterns with Examples
JLPT N5 is the entry point for all formal Japanese certification. The grammar tested at N5 covers four areas: particles, verb forms, adjective conjugation, and core sentence patterns. This reference lists every pattern you need, with the structure, English meaning, and a natural example sentence for each.
Bookmark this page and work through each section. Use the grammar checker at the bottom to practise writing original sentences — the fastest way to move grammar from “known” to “automatic”.
Section 1: Particles — 16 patterns
Particles are the hardest part of N5 for most learners. They mark grammatical roles and relationships — there is no direct English equivalent. The は/が and に/で distinctions alone account for a large proportion of N5 errors.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜は | topic marker | 私は学生です。 | I am a student. |
| 〜が | subject marker / emphasis | 猫がいます。 | There is a cat. |
| 〜を | direct object marker | ご飯を食べます。 | I eat rice. |
| 〜に (location) | existence location (あります/います) | 部屋に本があります。 | There is a book in the room. |
| 〜に (direction) | destination / direction | 学校に行きます。 | I go to school. |
| 〜に (time) | specific time point | 7時に起きます。 | I wake up at 7. |
| 〜で (location) | action location | 図書館で勉強します。 | I study at the library. |
| 〜で (means) | by means of / using | バスで来ました。 | I came by bus. |
| 〜へ | direction (toward) | 東京へ行きます。 | I am going to Tokyo. |
| 〜と | and (connecting nouns) / with | 友達と映画を見ます。 | I watch a movie with a friend. |
| 〜も | also / too | 私も学生です。 | I am also a student. |
| 〜か | question marker | これは本ですか。 | Is this a book? |
| 〜の | possession / noun modifier | 私の本です。 | It is my book. |
| 〜から | from (starting point) | 9時から授業があります。 | Class starts from 9. |
| 〜まで | until / up to | 5時まで働きます。 | I work until 5. |
| 〜や〜など | and so on (non-exhaustive list) | りんごやバナナなどがあります。 | There are things like apples and bananas. |
Section 2: Verb forms — 16 patterns
N5 verb grammar covers polite forms (〜ます), the te-form and its combinations, basic modal expressions (たい, potential), and simple purpose structures. Master the te-form first — it unlocks everything else.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜ます / 〜ません | polite present/future affirmative / negative | 毎日勉強します。/ しません。 | I study every day. / I do not study. |
| 〜ました / 〜ませんでした | polite past affirmative / negative | 昨日行きました。 | I went yesterday. |
| 〜たい | want to do | 寿司を食べたいです。 | I want to eat sushi. |
| 〜てください | polite request | ここに名前を書いてください。 | Please write your name here. |
| 〜ている | ongoing action / resultant state | 今、食べています。 | I am eating now. |
| 〜てもいいですか | may I / is it okay to? | ここに座ってもいいですか。 | May I sit here? |
| 〜てはいけません | must not / prohibited | ここで写真を撮ってはいけません。 | You must not take photos here. |
| 〜なければなりません | must / have to | 宿題をしなければなりません。 | I must do my homework. |
| 〜ないでください | please do not | 走らないでください。 | Please do not run. |
| 〜ましょう | let's do / suggestion | 一緒に行きましょう。 | Let's go together. |
| 〜ましょうか | shall I / shall we? | 手伝いましょうか。 | Shall I help? |
| 〜ませんか | would you like to? (invitation) | 一緒に食べませんか。 | Would you like to eat together? |
| verb dictionary form + 前に | before doing | 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 | I brush my teeth before sleeping. |
| verb た form + 後で | after doing | 食べた後で、散歩します。 | After eating, I take a walk. |
| 〜に行く / 〜に来る | go / come to do (purpose) | 買い物に行きます。 | I go (to do) shopping. |
| verb potential form | can / be able to | 日本語が話せます。 | I can speak Japanese. |
Section 3: Adjective patterns — 10 patterns
Japanese has two adjective types: い-adjectives (end in い) and な-adjectives. They conjugate differently for negative, past, and past-negative. Mixing them up is one of the most common N5 writing errors.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| い-adj + です | polite い-adjective | この映画は面白いです。 | This movie is interesting. |
| い-adj → くない | い-adj negative | 今日は寒くないです。 | It is not cold today. |
| い-adj → かった | い-adj past | 昨日は暑かったです。 | It was hot yesterday. |
| い-adj → くなかった | い-adj past negative | 難しくなかったです。 | It was not difficult. |
| な-adj + です | polite な-adjective | ここは静かです。 | It is quiet here. |
| な-adj → じゃない | な-adj negative | 今日は暇じゃないです。 | I am not free today. |
| な-adj → だった | な-adj past | 子供のとき、元気だった。 | I was energetic as a child. |
| い-adj + noun | い-adj modifying noun | 大きい犬がいます。 | There is a big dog. |
| な-adj + な + noun | な-adj modifying noun | 静かな部屋がほしいです。 | I want a quiet room. |
| adj + なります | to become (adj) | 上手になりました。 | I became skilled. |
Section 4: Core sentence patterns — 20 patterns
These patterns form the backbone of N5 conversation: expressing existence, preference, ability, frequency, and basic discourse markers. Many appear in multiple JLPT question types (grammar selection, fill-in-the-blank, reading comprehension).
| Pattern | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜は〜です | X is Y (basic copula) | 私は日本人です。 | I am Japanese. |
| 〜は〜じゃないです / ではないです | X is not Y | 彼は学生じゃないです。 | He is not a student. |
| 〜は〜でした | X was Y | 昨日は晴れでした。 | It was sunny yesterday. |
| これ / それ / あれ | this / that / that over there | これは私の本です。 | This is my book. |
| ここ / そこ / あそこ | here / there / over there | トイレはどこですか。— あそこです。 | Where is the bathroom? Over there. |
| 〜が好きです / 嫌いです | like / dislike | 猫が好きです。 | I like cats. |
| 〜が上手です / 下手です | good at / bad at | 料理が上手です。 | I am good at cooking. |
| 〜がわかります | understand | 日本語がわかります。 | I understand Japanese. |
| 〜があります / います | exists (non-living / living) | 犬がいます。/ 本があります。 | There is a dog. / There is a book. |
| どんな〜 | what kind of | どんな映画が好きですか。 | What kind of movies do you like? |
| 〜から〜まで | from〜to〜 | 月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。 | I work from Monday to Friday. |
| いくつ / いくら | how many / how much | これはいくらですか。 | How much is this? |
| 何〜 (counter) | how many (with counters) | 何人いますか。 | How many people are there? |
| まだ〜ていません | have not done yet | まだ食べていません。 | I have not eaten yet. |
| もう〜ました | have already done | もう終わりました。 | I have already finished. |
| いつも / よく / たまに / あまり / ぜんぜん | frequency adverbs | あまり肉を食べません。 | I do not eat meat very much. |
| どうして / なぜ 〜から / 〜ので | why — because | どうして来ましたか。— 用があったから。 | Why did you come? Because I had business. |
| ちょっと〜 / すこし〜 | a little | ちょっと待ってください。 | Please wait a moment. |
| 〜ね / 〜よ | sentence-final particles (agreement / assertion) | いい天気ですね。 | Nice weather, isn't it? |
| 〜と思います | I think that | 彼は来ると思います。 | I think he will come. |
The 5 hardest N5 grammar points
These consistently produce the most errors in N5 practice tests:
- は vs が — は marks the topic (what the sentence is about); が marks the subject of a predicate, especially in existence sentences and when introducing new information. 「猫はかわいいです」 (speaking of the cat, it is cute) vs 「猫がいます」 (there is a cat).
- に vs で (location) — に with あります/います (existence); で with action verbs (where the action happens). Never 「図書館で本があります」.
- Te-form Group 1 verbs — The ending changes based on the verb's final sound: く→いて, ぐ→いで, す→して, む/ぬ/ぶ→んで, う/つ/る→って. There is no single rule.
- 〜たい vs 〜ほしい — たい is “want to do” (verb-based); ほしい is “want [a thing]” (noun-based). Different subjects, different particles: 「寿司を食べたい」 vs 「新しい車がほしい」.
- 〜から (reason) vs 〜から (starting point) — Context determines which meaning applies: 「疲れたから、寝ます」 (because I am tired); 「9時から始まります」 (starts from 9 o'clock).
N5 grammar study checklist
- Can you use は, が, を, に, で correctly in original sentences?
- Can you conjugate any verb into ます, て, ない, た form?
- Can you conjugate い-adj and な-adj in negative and past forms?
- Can you form requests (てください), permissions (てもいいですか), and prohibitions (てはいけません)?
- Can you express ability (potential form), desire (たい), and ongoing action (ている)?
Practise N5 grammar with immediate feedback
Reading a grammar list is passive — you remember about 10% after 24 hours. Writing sentences and immediately checking them is active — you remember 3–5x more. Use ZISTICA MOJIIQ's free grammar checker to write sentences using each N5 pattern and get AI corrections with plain-English explanations of every error.
Frequently asked questions
How many grammar points are in JLPT N5?
Approximately 80 grammar patterns. The JLPT does not publish an official list, but test analysis consistently identifies around 80 distinct structures across particles, verb forms, adjective conjugation, and sentence patterns.
What is the best way to study JLPT N5 grammar?
Learn each pattern in context (example sentence + translation), write your own example, then check it with an AI grammar checker. Passive reading of grammar lists has very low retention — production practice is what builds the pattern into memory.
What is the hardest JLPT N5 grammar point?
は vs が causes the most errors, followed by に vs で for location, and te-form conjugation for Group 1 verbs. These three areas account for the majority of N5 grammar mistakes in practice tests.
How long does it take to pass JLPT N5?
With consistent daily study, most beginners reach N5 level in 3–6 months. The official estimate is 150 hours of study for learners with no prior Japanese background. Grammar automation — not just recognition — is the key to passing the writing and listening sections.