80 essential N4 words covering everyday life, society, and the abstract vocabulary needed for te-form combinations and conditional expressions.
Showing 80 of 80 words
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 意味 | いみ | imi | meaning | noun |
| 意見 | いけん | iken | opinion | noun |
| 文化 | ぶんか | bunka | culture | noun |
| 文法 | ぶんぽう | bunpou | grammar | noun |
| 経験 | けいけん | keiken | experience | noun |
| 習慣 | しゅうかん | shuukan | habit, custom | noun |
| 予定 | よてい | yotei | plan, schedule | noun |
| 予約 | よやく | yoyaku | reservation, booking | noun |
| 機会 | きかい | kikai | opportunity | noun |
| 場合 | ばあい | baai | case, situation | noun |
| 理由 | りゆう | riyuu | reason | noun |
| 以上 | いじょう | ijou | more than, above | noun |
| 以下 | いか | ika | less than, below | noun |
| 以前 | いぜん | izen | before, previously | noun |
| 以後 | いご | igo | after, from now on | noun |
| 全部 | ぜんぶ | zenbu | all, everything | noun |
| 全員 | ぜんいん | zenin | all members, everyone | noun |
| 番号 | ばんごう | bangou | number (sequence) | noun |
| 速度 | そくど | sokudo | speed | noun |
| 温度 | おんど | ondo | temperature | noun |
| 天気 | てんき | tenki | weather | noun |
| 季節 | きせつ | kisetsu | season | noun |
| 地図 | ちず | chizu | map | noun |
| 地球 | ちきゅう | chikyuu | Earth, the globe | noun |
| 世界 | せかい | sekai | world | noun |
| 社会 | しゃかい | shakai | society | noun |
| 政府 | せいふ | seifu | government | noun |
| 法律 | ほうりつ | houritsu | law | noun |
| 医者 | いしゃ | isha | doctor | noun |
| 薬 | くすり | kusuri | medicine | noun |
| 健康 | けんこう | kenkou | health | noun |
| 運動 | うんどう | undou | exercise, movement | noun |
| 料理 | りょうり | ryouri | cooking, cuisine | noun |
| 材料 | ざいりょう | zairyou | ingredients, materials | noun |
| 味 | あじ | aji | taste, flavour | noun |
| 形 | かたち | katachi | shape, form | noun |
| 色 | いろ | iro | colour | noun |
| 音 | おと | oto | sound | noun |
| 声 | こえ | koe | voice | noun |
| 力 | ちから | chikara | strength, power | noun |
| 心 | こころ | kokoro | heart, mind | noun |
| 体 | からだ | karada | body | noun |
| 頭 | あたま | atama | head, mind | noun |
| 夢 | ゆめ | yume | dream | noun |
| 趣味 | しゅみ | shumi | hobby, interest | noun |
| 旅行 | りょこう | ryokou | travel, trip | noun |
| 交通 | こうつう | koutsuu | traffic, transport | noun |
| 建物 | たてもの | tatemono | building | noun |
| 場所 | ばしょ | basho | place, location | noun |
| 方向 | ほうこう | houkou | direction | noun |
| 可能 | かのう | kanou | possible | adj-na |
| 不可能 | ふかのう | fukanou | impossible | adj-na |
| 必要 | ひつよう | hitsuyou | necessary | adj-na |
| 不必要 | ふひつよう | fuhitsuyou | unnecessary | adj-na |
| 丁寧 | ていねい | teinei | polite, careful | adj-na |
| 自由 | じゆう | jiyuu | freedom, free | adj-na |
| 急ぐ | いそぐ | isogu | to hurry | verb |
| 選ぶ | えらぶ | erabu | to choose, select | verb |
| 調べる | しらべる | shiraberu | to investigate, check | verb |
| 比べる | くらべる | kuraberu | to compare | verb |
| 集める | あつめる | atsumeru | to collect, gather | verb |
| 覚える | おぼえる | oboeru | to memorise, remember | verb |
| 忘れる | わすれる | wasureru | to forget | verb |
| 始める | はじめる | hajimeru | to begin, start | verb |
| 終わる | おわる | owaru | to end, finish | verb |
| 伝える | つたえる | tsutaeru | to convey, tell | verb |
| 返す | かえす | kaesu | to return (something) | verb |
| 直す | なおす | naosu | to fix, correct | verb |
| 渡す | わたす | watasu | to hand over, pass | verb |
| 受ける | うける | ukeru | to receive, take (exam) | verb |
| 残る | のこる | nokoru | to remain, be left | verb |
| 続く | つづく | tsuzuku | to continue (intrans.) | verb |
| 生まれる | うまれる | umareru | to be born | verb |
| 育てる | そだてる | sodateru | to raise, bring up | verb |
| 笑う | わらう | warau | to laugh, smile | verb |
| 泣く | なく | naku | to cry | verb |
| 怒る | おこる | okoru | to get angry | verb |
| もちろん | もちろん | mochiron | of course | adv |
| やはり | やはり | yahari | as expected, after all | adv |
| なかなか | なかなか | nakanaka | quite, rather (+ neg: not easily) | adv |
N4 vocabulary builds directly on N5, introducing more abstract nouns (意味, 理由, 経験), compound words using kanji you already know (以上, 以下, 全部), and a wider range of verbs that combine with te-form grammar patterns.
At N4 level you will encounter verbs like 覚える, 忘れる, and 調べる in grammar patterns such as ～てみる, ～てしまう, and ～ておく. Learning the verb and its te-form together from the start speeds up grammar acquisition significantly.
Writing sentences using new vocabulary is the fastest way to retain it. ZISTICA MOJIIQ checks your Japanese in real time and catches N4-level mistakes — free.
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