JLPT N5 · Beginner · 60 points
JLPT N5 grammar
This is the grammar your students met in their first years of school, and it is the grammar you need for your first months in the staff room. There is a lot of it, so do not try to learn it in a week. Start with the sentence basics and the particles. Then learn the verb forms and the adjectives. Everything else is built on those.
Each point links to a short article: what it means, how to build it, examples, how English says it, and the mistakes it can cause in your students' English. The JLPT does not publish an official grammar list, so this one follows the common study lists. Some books put a point one level up or down.
No grammar point matches. Try a shorter word, or the romaji.
Sentence basics
A is B, its negative and past forms, and questions.
- 1 A is B with です A is B A は B です A wa B desu
- 2 Is not with ではありません Is not ～ではありません ~ dewa arimasen
- 3 Past tense with でした Was; were ～でした ~ deshita
- 4 Was not with ではありませんでした Was not; were not ～ではありませんでした ~ dewa arimasen deshita
- 5 Yes/no questions with ですか Is it...? (yes/no questions) ～ですか ~ desu ka
- 6 Question words 何, 誰, どこ, いつ What, who, where, when 何・誰・どこ・いつ nani / nan, dare, doko, itsu
Particles
The small words after a noun that show its job in the sentence.
- 7 The particle は Marks the topic of the sentence N は N wa
- 8 The particle が Marks the subject; this one, not another N が N ga
- 9 The particle を Marks the object of a verb N を N o
- 10 The particle に Marks a time, a goal or a place N に N ni
- 11 The particle で Where an action happens; by what means N で N de
- 12 The particle へ Direction; toward N へ N e
- 13 The particle と And; with N と N to
- 14 The particle も Also; too N も N mo
- 15 The particle の Possession; noun modification N の N N no N
- 16 The particle から From N から N kara
- 17 The particle まで Until; as far as N まで N made
- 18 The particle や A, B, and other similar things A や B A ya B
There is, this and that
Saying that something exists, and pointing at things and places.
- 19 There is: あります Something exists; have something N があります N ga arimasu
- 20 There is: います Someone or an animal exists N がいます N ga imasu
- 21 This and that: これ・それ・あれ This; that; that over there これ・それ・あれ kore, sore, are
- 22 This book, that bag: この・その・あの This/that + noun この・その・あの + N kono, sono, ano + N
- 23 Here and there: ここ・そこ・あそこ Here; there; over there ここ・そこ・あそこ koko, soko, asoko
Adjectives and comparing
Describing things, the two adjective types, and more or most.
- 24 Describing with adjective + です Describing something A は adjective です A wa adjective desu
- 25 い-adjectives: 高い and 高くない い-adjective conjugation 高い・高くない takai, takaku nai
- 26 な-adjectives: 静かです な-adjectives 静かです・静かではありません shizuka desu, shizuka dewa arimasen
- 27 Past adjectives: 高かった and 静かでした Adjective past tense 高かった・静かでした takakatta, shizuka deshita
- 28 Comparing with より A is more... than B A は B より～ A wa B yori ~
- 29 The most: いちばん The most ～がいちばん ~ ga ichiban
Likes, wants and can
What you like, what you want, what you want to do, and what you can do.
Verb forms
The polite masu form in four tenses, and two patterns built on the past form.
- 33 The polite verb form ます Do; will do Verb ます verb masu
- 34 The negative form ません Do not; will not Verb ません verb masen
- 35 The past form ました Did Verb ました verb mashita
- 36 The past negative ませんでした Did not Verb ませんでした verb masen deshita
- 47 Listing actions with たり～たりする Do things such as A and B ～たり～たりする ~ tari ~ tari suru
- 48 Have done with たことがあります Have done before ～たことがあります ~ ta koto ga arimasu
The te-form
Please, may I, must not, -ing, and joining actions together.
Invitations and offers
Let's, would you like to, and shall I.
Before, after and when
Putting two actions in order in time.
Plans and purpose
Going somewhere to do something, intentions, and plans.
Linking ideas
Because, but, and then, if, and reporting what someone said.
Counting
Counter words, and saying "about" with a number.