JLPT N5 Grammar Checklist — Every Pattern You Need

JLPT N5 grammar is a closed, learnable list: master the core particles, two verb conjugation families, both adjective types, and a couple dozen sentence patterns, and no grammar question on the exam can surprise you. This checklist organizes the N5 syllabus the way the exam tests it, with a Japanese example for each pattern. Work through it top to bottom, checking off only what you can produce — not just recognize.

The copula and basic sentences

• 〜です / 〜だ — "to be": 学生です (gakusei desu — I am a student).
• 〜じゃありません — negative: 先生じゃありません (I am not a teacher).
• 〜でした / 〜じゃありませんでした — past and negative past.
• Questions with か — 学生ですか (Are you a student?). No word-order change, just か.

Core particles

Particles are the highest-yield N5 topic — the exam tests them directly and every reading sentence depends on them.

• は — topic marker: 私は日本語を勉強します (As for me, I study Japanese).
• が — subject, especially with existence and preference: 猫がいます (There is a cat).
• を — direct object: パンを食べます (I eat bread).
• に — destination, time, indirect object: 七時に起きます (I wake at seven).
• へ — direction: 東京へ行きます (I go toward Tokyo).
• で — location of action, means: 電車で行きます (I go by train).
• と — "and" for nouns, "with": 友達と話します (I talk with a friend).
• も — "also": 私も行きます (I'll go too).
• の — possession and connection: 私の本 (my book).
• から / まで — from / until: 九時から五時まで (from 9 to 5).
• よ / ね — sentence-final tone: assertion vs. seeking agreement.

Verb forms

• ます-form (polite present): 行きます、食べます.
• ません / ました / ませんでした — polite negative, past, negative past.
• Dictionary form and recognizing the two conjugation groups (う-verbs / る-verbs) plus する and 来る.
• て-form — the N5 workhorse. If one item on this list deserves a full week, it is this one:
  • Requests: ドアを開けてください (Please open the door).
  • Permission: 写真を撮ってもいいですか (May I take a photo?).
  • Prohibition: ここで食べてはいけません (You must not eat here).
  • Ongoing action: 今、勉強しています (I am studying now).
• ない-form basics: 行かないでください (Please don't go).

Adjectives

• い-adjectives: conjugate directly — 高い → 高くない → 高かった → 高くなかった.
• な-adjectives: conjugate through だ/です — 静か → 静かじゃない → 静かでした.
• Adverb forms: 早く (quickly, from 早い), 静かに (quietly, from 静か).

Existence, desire, and suggestion

• います / あります — existence of animate / inanimate: 犬がいます。机があります。
• 〜が欲しい — wanting things; 〜たい — wanting to do: 水が飲みたいです (I want to drink water).
• 〜ましょう / 〜ませんか — "let's" and invitations: 行きましょう。一緒に食べませんか。

Comparison and degree

• AはBより〜 — A is more ~ than B: 東京は大阪より大きいです。
• 〜のほうが〜 — X is more ~: こちらのほうが安いです。
• いちばん — superlative: いちばん好きです (I like it best).
• とても / あまり〜ない / ちょっと — degree words the exam loves in distractors.

Connecting sentences

• 〜から — because: 忙しいですから、行きません (Because I'm busy, I won't go).
• 〜が / でも — but / however.
• 〜てから — after doing: 食べてから、寝ます (After eating, I sleep).
• 〜とき — when: 子供のとき (when I was a child).
• 〜ながら — while doing (recognition level at N5).

How to actually finish this list

Checking patterns off requires production, not recognition. For each item, write or say two original sentences; if you cannot, it is not learned. Pair this list with the 3-month N5 study plan for scheduling, feed every example sentence into your SRS deck, and then pressure-test the whole syllabus with timed N5 drills and a mock exam — grammar you can use at exam pace is the only grammar that scores.

FAQ

How many grammar points are on JLPT N5? Roughly 60–80 patterns depending on how you count compound forms. The list above groups them the way exam questions target them.

Is N5 grammar enough to speak Japanese? It covers survival conversation: introductions, shopping, directions, plans. Fluency needs the N4/N3 layers, but N5 grammar plus the ~800 core words makes basic daily interaction possible.

What's the hardest part of N5 grammar? For most learners, particle choice between は and が, and building the て-form correctly across both verb groups. Both are heavily tested — over-invest in them.

Do I need keigo (honorific language) for N5? Only the polite です/ます style. Honorific and humble forms (敬語) arrive at N4 and above.

Keep studying

• JLPT N5 study plan — 3 months
• How many kanji for each JLPT level
• More grammar articles

Official sources checked

• JLPT composition of test sections and items — official item categories and test-section structure.
• JLPT FAQ — official explanation of test sections and question types.

The JLPT does not publish a single official grammar-point checklist; this article is a practical study checklist organized from official item categories and common preparation needs.