Conquer JLPT N5 Kanji — A brief, practical guide with strategies, tips & tricks

Learning N5 kanji is the fastest way to feel confident reading simple signs, menus, and basic sentences in Japanese. N5 covers roughly 100–120 common kanji — manageable with the right system. Below is a compact, actionable plan you can follow right away.

Why focus on N5 kanji first

• They appear everywhere in everyday Japanese (numbers, days, family, directions).

• Quick wins: small kanji set + high usefulness = fast motivation.

• Learning them first builds a foundation for reading and vocabulary.

Core principles (what actually works)

• Spaced repetition (SRS) — study, review, and repeat at growing intervals.

• Active recall — test yourself; don’t just re-read.

• Learn readings + meaning + one common word example — kanji are useful only in context.

• Combine visual memory (shape/radicals) with writing practice (stroke order helps retention).

• Small, consistent daily habit beats long occasional cramming.

Simple daily routine (20–30 minutes)

• 5 min — quick review of previously learned kanji (SRS app or flashcards).

• 10–15 min — learn 3–6 new kanji (radicals, meaning, on/kun reading, 1 example word).

• 5–10 min — write each new kanji 3–5 times and make a short sentence using its vocabulary.

Do this every day; 20–30 minutes × 30 days = huge progress.

Practical study techniques

• Break kanji into radicals — learn recurring parts (e.g., 氵 for water, 艹 for plants).

• Make short mnemonics or stories linking shape → meaning → reading. Keep them personal and silly.

• Learn one common vocabulary word for each kanji (example: 生 → いきる / せい → せいかつ).

• Focus on stroke order — use it when you write; it anchors memory.

• Read simple sentences/children’s texts and spot known kanji. Context locks meaning.

• Use flashcards both ways: kanji → meaning/readings and meaning/readings → kanji.

• Say the reading aloud while writing — multisensory learning helps.

Tools & activities (low effort, high reward)

• Use an SRS like Anki or a kanji app to schedule reviews.

• Get or make an “N5 kanji” deck sorted by frequency.

• Make tiny quizzes: mix 10 kanji and test yourself under a timer.

• Label objects in your home with kanji + reading to reinforce daily exposure.

• Watch children’s videos or simple manga, pause and find kanji you know.

Sample 6-week plan (rough)

• Week 1 — 20 basic kanji (numbers, days, person, big/small, mouth, tree).

• Week 2 — next 20 (locations, water, fire, school, come/go).

• Weeks 3–4 — 40 more (verbs’ kanji and everyday nouns).

• Week 5 — review + practice reading short passages.

• Week 6 — mock test: write all learned kanji, read 50 simple sentences, fix weak ones.

Quick tips & tricks

• Learn readings in pairs (on’yomi for compounds, kun’yomi for standalone words).

• Prioritise kanji that appear in N5 vocabulary lists (focus where the exam will test you).

• Don’t aim for perfection on first pass — exposure + spaced review builds mastery.

• Mistakes are learning signals — review errors right away.

• Make short, teachable outputs: explain a kanji to someone (or to yourself) in one sentence.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Overloading: trying to memorize too many new kanji in one day.

• Passive study only (reading without recall/writing).

• Ignoring readings — kanji without readings aren’t useful for tests or conversation.

Final note — consistency beats intensity

Small daily actions compound. If you do 20–30 minutes every day for 6–8 weeks, you’ll reliably master N5 kanji for reading and the exam.