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N4 · Elementary

JLPT N4 reading practice

N4 builds on N5 with around 300 kanji and roughly twice the vocabulary. Texts are still about everyday life, but they get longer and more connected: a sentence now gives a reason, a condition or a plan, and plain forms appear next to polite ones.

Typical N4 reading is a short diary entry, a conversation about making plans, or a message explaining why something happened.

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N4 at a glance

Kanji
about 300
Vocabulary
about 1,500 words
Text length on Nichiyomu
35 to 60 characters

Kanji and vocabulary counts are rough guides. The JLPT has not published official lists since 2010, so these figures come from the older test specification. Text length is measured on the Nichiyomu library.

Grammar you will meet often

  • ～ので
  • ～たら
  • ～場合は
  • ～ておく
  • ～ことがある
  • ～ようになる
  • ～そうだ
  • ～られる (passive)
  • ～(よ)うと思う

Sample N4 texts

Two texts from the Nichiyomu library at N4. Read each one first, switch furigana off for a harder test, then open the translation, grammar and words underneath to check yourself.

N4 News
今朝けさのニュースで、駅前えきまえのパン屋やが紹介しょうかいされていました。人気にんきのパンはすぐに売うり切きれるそうなので、明日あしたは早はやく起おきて買かいに行いこうと思おもいます。
Translation

The bakery in front of the station was on the news this morning. I hear their popular bread sells out right away, so I think I'll get up early tomorrow and go buy some.

Grammar

～されていました (passive) · 紹介する becomes 紹介される in the passive, so the bakery is the one being introduced. With ていました it describes what was being shown on the news at the time.

～そうだ (hearsay) · Plain form + そうだ means “I hear that ~”: 売り切れるそうだ, “I hear it sells out”.

～ので · ので gives the reason for what follows. そうだ changes to そうな before ので, because it behaves like a na-adjective.

～て (sequence) · 起きて links two actions in order: “get up early, then go”.

verb stem + に行く · 買いに行く means going somewhere to do something: “go to buy”.

～(よ)うと思います · The volitional form plus と思います says what you intend to do: 行こうと思います, “I think I'll go”.

Words
  • 今朝 けさ · this morning
  • 駅前 えきまえ · in front of the station
  • パン屋 パンや · bakery
  • 紹介 しょうかい · introduction
  • 人気 にんき · popularity
  • 売り切れる うりきれる · to sell out
  • 明日 あした · tomorrow
  • 早い はやい · early, fast
  • 起きる おきる · to get up, to wake up
  • 買う かう · to buy
  • 行く いく · to go
  • 思う おもう · to think
N4 Dining
「新あたらしい寿司屋すしやに行いきたいんですが、６時じ頃ごろはどうですか。」
「その時間じかんは予約よやくがいっぱいだと思おもいます。８時じ頃ごろなら大丈夫だいじょうぶですよ。」
Translation

“I'd like to go to the new sushi restaurant. How about around six?”

“I think they're fully booked then. Around eight should be fine.”

Grammar

～たい · Verb stem + たい says what you want to do: 行きたい, “I want to go”. It conjugates like an い-adjective.

～んですが · 行きたいんですが gives background softly and leaves room for what comes next, here a question: “I'd like to go, but ...”.

～はどうですか · Used to suggest something or ask for an opinion: ６時頃はどうですか, “how about around six?”.

time + 頃 · 頃 after a clock time means “around”: ６時頃, “around six”. In this position it is read ごろ.

～と思います · Plain form + と思います gives your opinion: いっぱいだと思います, “I think it's full”. A noun or na-adjective needs だ before と.

～なら · ８時頃なら means “if it's around eight”, picking up an alternative to what was just said: six is full, but eight works.

Words
  • 新しい あたらしい · new
  • 寿司屋 すしや · sushi restaurant
  • 行く いく · to go
  • 時 じ · o'clock
  • 頃 ごろ · around (a time)
  • 時間 じかん · time, hour
  • 予約 よやく · reservation
  • 思う おもう · to think
  • 大丈夫 だいじょうぶ · all right, fine

How Nichiyomu matches you at N4

Choose N4 when you sign up and you start near the easy end of N4, so your first texts err on the comfortable side. Rate each one Easy, Medium or Hard and the next text follows: if N4 turns out to be too easy, you will be reading N3 texts within a few sessions, and if it is too hard, the texts step back toward N5.

The free plan gives you three texts a day with furigana and translations. Reader adds the word breakdowns you see above, and Learner adds grammar explanations and audio. See the pricing page for details.

Other levels

All JLPT levels

Frequently asked questions

How is N4 reading different from N5?

N4 texts are longer and more connected. Sentences give reasons, conditions and plans (～ので, ～たら, ～ようと思う), plain forms appear next to polite ones, and the kanji count rises from about 100 to about 300.

How many words do you need for N4 reading?

Around 1,500. That figure comes from the pre-2010 JLPT specification, as no official list exists today, but it matches what N4 texts expect: everyday vocabulary for shopping, travel, work, health and making plans.

What grammar should you know for N4 reading?

Mainly the patterns that connect ideas. Reasons and conditions (～ので, ～たら, ～場合は), preparation and change (～ておく, ～ようになる), hearsay (～そうだ) and the passive come up constantly in N4 texts.

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