Skip to guide content
N1GHTMARE← Return to game

JLPT N5 Practice: Your First Japanese Adventure

Start with familiar places, everyday objects, and short sentences. These N5-level examples show how to connect a written word, its meaning, and the job it does in a sentence.

Guide updated

Everyday words · basic particles · finding stated details

Build a small sentence before a large word list

Reading kana comfortably makes these questions easier to use. If you are still learning hiragana and katakana, take your time reading each choice aloud before checking the answer. This page is practice, rather than a complete introduction to the writing systems.

Notice the words around a blank. A particle question asks how the parts of a sentence connect; a vocabulary question asks which meaning fits the situation. Separating those two tasks helps you understand a mistake instead of memorizing the position of the correct choice.

What to notice at this level

A kanji can have more than one reading. Learn 山 with やま and its meaning, but do not assume that every later compound containing 山 uses the same sound. Store the whole word when you meet a new compound.

In a short passage, track who is speaking, where they go, and whether an action is positive or negative. The transport example below contains both going by bus and not walking. The question asks what Mina actually uses.

Worked examples

Read each question, choose an answer, and open the explanation to follow the reasoning. These examples come from the game’s original beta question set.

Kanji: read a word on its own

「山」の読み方は？

  1. やま
  2. かわ
  3. そら
  4. うみ
Show answer and explanation

Answer: やま

山 means mountain and is read やま when it stands alone.

The prompt asks for a reading, so select kana that name the written word. やま matches 山; the other choices name different things. Say the word and its meaning together: やま, mountain.

Question n5-kanji-001 · Original beta practice

Vocabulary: use the situation

パンを二つ買います。どこへ行きますか。

  1. パン屋
  2. 病院
  3. 郵便局
  4. 図書館
Show answer and explanation

Answer: パン屋

A パン屋 is a bakery, the place to buy bread.

First identify the action: buying two pieces of bread. Then choose the place that normally matches that action. The ending 屋 is useful to notice in the name of a shop.

Question n5-vocabulary-001 · Original beta practice

Grammar: mark the topic

わたし＿＿学生です。

  1. は
  2. を
  3. に
  4. で
Show answer and explanation

Answer: は

は marks the topic: as for me, I am a student.

Read the sentence as “As for me, I am a student.” The word before the blank is the topic, not something being acted on. Here the particle は is pronounced wa.

Question n5-grammar-001 · Original beta practice

Reading: separate a fact from a negative

ミナです。学校は家から遠いです。毎朝、バスで行きます。学校まで歩きません。

ミナさんは何で学校へ行きますか。

  1. バス
  2. 電車
  3. 自転車
  4. 車
Show answer and explanation

Answer: バス

The passage explicitly says バスで行きます. Walking is mentioned only to say she does not walk to school.

Find the phrase バスで行きます, then check the final sentence. 歩きません rules out walking; it does not replace the stated means of transport. Read the question again before selecting an answer.

Question n5-reading-001 · Original beta practice

Put this into practice

  1. Choose N5 in the Archive and work through one category at a time.
  2. After a wrong answer, explain the clue in English and reread the Japanese sentence.
  3. Mix the four categories in a Lantern Run when the individual examples feel comfortable.

All five tiers are available in the Archive. Your character’s RPG level is separate from your selected Japanese practice level.

Play N1GHTMARERead how to play

Continue learning

Explore all learning guides