JLPT N4 Grammar Master List: Essential Particles, Conjugations, and Sentence Patterns
Master the complete JLPT N4 grammar syllabus — conditional forms, giving and receiving verbs, passive and causative voices, and high-yield sentence structures.
The JLPT N4 grammar syllabus bridges elementary Japanese with conversational competence. While N5 tests basic sentence particles and simple verb conjugations, N4 demands mastery of roughly 130 sentence patterns involving compound verb forms, multi-clause conditionals, giving-and-receiving transactions, and perspective shifts like passive and causative voices.
Understanding N4 grammar is not about memorizing isolated pattern names; it requires recognizing the speaker's viewpoint, relational hierarchy, and chronological causality. This reference guide organizes every core N4 grammar structure into logical functional categories, dissects the four Japanese conditionals, and highlights the exact distractors used by exam writers on test day.
Quick Summary: The 5 Pillars of JLPT N4 Grammar
- The Four Conditionals: Knowing when to use
〜たら(-tara),〜ば(-ba),〜と(-to), and〜なら(-nara) accounts for up to 15% of N4 grammar points. - Giving and Receiving (授受動詞): Tracking who benefits whom using
あげる(ageru),もらう(morau),くれる(kureru), and their honorific equivalents. - Voice Modifications: Transforming verbs into Passive (受身形) for suffering/indirect action and Causative (使役形) for making or letting someone do something.
- Modality and Conjectures: Expressing probability, hearsay, and appearance with
〜そうだ(-sō da),〜ようだ(-yō da), and〜らしい(-rashii). - Purpose and Intent: Distinguishing between intentional preparation
〜ておく(-te oku), state completion〜てある(-te aru), and unintentional regret〜てしまう(-te shimau).
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1. The Four Japanese Conditionals Compared
One of the most heavily tested grammar concepts on the JLPT N4 is distinguishing between the four ways to say "if" or "when". Each conditional has specific constraints regarding whether the main clause can contain volition, commands, or past events.
| Conditional | Core Meaning | Volition / Command in Main Clause? | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜たら (-tara) | "Once / If (sequential)" | Yes (許可, 依頼, 命令 allowed) | Daily conversation, chronological sequences, hypotheticals |
| 〜と (-to) | "Whenever / Naturally happens" | No (Strictly objective results) | Natural phenomena, machinery instructions, guaranteed outcomes |
| 〜ば (-ba) | "General condition / If" | Restricted (Only if condition is stative) | Proverbs, general prerequisites, formulas |
| 〜なら (-nara) | "If it's the case that (contextual)" | Yes (Giving advice, suggestions) | Topic-based advice, reacting to what someone said |
Example Sentences
〜たら (-tara): 「日本に着いたら、電話してください。」 Nihon ni tsuitara, denwa shite kudasai. "Once you arrive in Japan, please call me." (Sequential action + polite request).
〜と (-to): 「このボタンを押すと、切符が出ます。」 Kono botan o osu to, kippu ga demasu. "Whenever you press this button, the ticket comes out." (Mechanical certainty; volitional requests are ungrammatical here).
〜ば (-ba): 「安ければ、買います。」 Yasukereba, kaimasu. "If it is cheap, I will buy it." (Prerequisite condition).
〜なら (-nara): 「京都へ行くなら、新幹線が便利ですよ。」 Kyōto e iku nara, shinkansen ga benri desu yo. "If you are going to Kyoto, the bullet train is convenient." (Contextual recommendation based on the listener's plan).
2. Giving and Receiving Verbs (授受表現)
Understanding perspective is paramount in Japanese syntax. The direction of physical objects and actions determines verb choice:
| Verb | Direction | Example Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| あげる (ageru) | I / My in-group → Out-group | 私は友だちに本をあげました。 | I gave a book to my friend. |
| くれる (kureru) | Out-group → Me / My in-group | 友だちが私に花をくれました。 | My friend gave flowers to me. |
| もらう (morau) | Receiver perspective (Received from) | 私は先生に辞書をもらいました。 | I received a dictionary from my teacher. |
Auxiliary Actions: 〜てあげる, 〜てくれる, 〜てもらう
When applied to verbs using the Te-form, these verbs express doing or receiving favors:
- 〜てくれる: 「田中さんが傘を貸してくれました。」 (Tanaka-san lent me an umbrella. — Highlights gratitude from the speaker's point of view).
- 〜てもらう: 「私は山田さんに駅まで送ってもらいました。」 (I had Yamada-san drive me to the station. — The speaker initiated or received the favor).
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3. Passive (受身) and Causative (使役) Verb Forms
Passive and Causative verbs frequently appear in Section 2 (Grammar) sentences and listening dialogues where social hierarchy or unintentional distress is expressed.
Passive Form (受身 - Ukemi)
Used when a subject is affected by another person's action, especially in "suffering passive" (meiwaku ukemi):
- Group 1 (Godan): Change -u to -areru (書く → 書かれる, 踏む → 踏まれる)
- Group 2 (Ichidan): Remove -ru, add -rareru (食べる → 食べられる, 褒める → 褒められる)
- Irregular: する → される, 来る (くる) → こられる
Key Exam Example: 「雨に降られて、服が濡れてしまいました。」 Ame ni furarete, fuku ga nurete shimaimashita. "I was rained upon (suffered from the rain), and my clothes got soaked."
Causative Form (使役 - Shieki)
Used to express making someone perform an action or granting permission to let them do it:
- Group 1 (Godan): Change -u to -aseru (行く → 行かせる, 読む → 読ませる)
- Group 2 (Ichidan): Remove -ru, add -saseru (食べる → 食べさせる)
- Irregular: する → させる, 来る → こさせる
Key Exam Example: 「部長は新入社員に書類をコピーさせました。」 Buchō wa shin'nyū shain ni shorui o kopī sasemashita. "The department manager made the new employee photocopy the documents."
4. Crucial Te-form Sentence Combinations
The Te-form serves as the operational engine of N4 grammar. These 5 constructs appear in almost every test administration:
- 〜ておく (-te oku): To do something in advance / preparation.
- 「旅行の前に、ホテルの予約をしておきます。」 (I will reserve the hotel in advance before the trip.)
- 〜てある (-te aru): A resulting state deliberately set by someone.
- 「黒板に今日の予定が書いてあります。」 (Today's schedule has been written on the blackboard.)
- 〜てしまう (-te shimau): Complete completion OR unintentional regret.
- 「宿題を家に忘れてしまいました。」 (I accidentally left my homework at home.)
- 〜てみる (-te miru): To try doing something to see what happens.
- 「日本の納豆を食べてみたいです。」 (I want to try eating Japanese natto.)
- 〜ていく / 〜てくる (-te iku / -te kuru): Spatial or temporal progression.
- 「これからも日本語の単語が増えていくでしょう。」 (Japanese vocabulary will continue to increase into the future.)
5. Modality: Looks Like vs. Hearsay vs. Seems Like
Examiners love testing the nuanced difference between the three forms of そう (sō), よう (yō), and らしい (rashii):
- Verb Stem + そうだ (Conjecture based on visual evidence): 「今にも雨が降りそうです。」 (It looks like it is about to rain right now.)
- Plain Form + そうだ (Hearsay / Reported speech): 「明日は雨が降るそうです。」 (I heard that it will rain tomorrow.)
- 〜ようだ (Deduction based on sensory data or simile): 「外は静かですね。誰もいないようです。」 (It is quiet outside. It seems like nobody is around.)
- 〜らしい (Typical representative quality or reliable hearsay): 「彼は男らしい人です。」 (He is a truly manly person.)
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High-Frequency N4 Exam Traps to Avoid
- Confusing 〜やすい (-yasui) with 〜にくい (-nikui): Attached to verb stems (
マス形),〜やすいindicates ease ("easy to write" = 書きやすい), while〜にくいindicates physical difficulty ("difficult to read" = 読みづらい / 読みにくい). - Double Negative Logic: Watch for patterns like
〜なければならない(must do) or〜なくてもいい(don't have to do). Tests frequently flip particles betweenはandも. - Compound Particle Inversion:
〜にとって(for / in the opinion of) vs.〜について(about / concerning).- 「留学生にとって漢字は難しい。」 (For international students, kanji is difficult.)
- 「日本の文化について本を読みました。」 (I read a book about Japanese culture.)
Recommended 4-Week N4 Grammar Study Plan
- Week 1: Solidify all four conditionals (
たら,ば,と,なら) through drill translations. - Week 2: Master giving and receiving verbs (
あげる,もらう,くれる) and their auxiliary Te-form pairings. - Week 3: Drill passive (
〜られる), causative (〜させる), and combined causative-passive (〜させられる) forms. - Week 4: Work through mixed timed mock exam question sets to build instinct on particle selection and modal endings.
Regular practice with timed simulations ensures you eliminate hesitations on particle pairs before sitting for the real exam.
