The JLPT N4 Vocabulary Mountain: How I Survived 600+ Words (And You Can Too!)
So you’ve decided to tackle JLPT N4? First off, congratulations on making it this far in your Japanese journey! But now you’re probably staring at your textbooks wondering, “Exactly how many words do I need to cram into my brain for this thing?”
I’ve been exactly where you are, frantically googling “JLPT N4 vocabulary count” at 2 AM while surrounded by flashcards. Let me save you some sleepless nights and share what I learned the hard way.
The Magic Number (Spoiler: It’s Not As Scary As You Think)
Here’s the deal: you’re looking at roughly 300 to 650 vocabulary words for JLPT N4. Most sources settle around the 600-word mark, and honestly? That felt overwhelming when I first heard it.
But here’s what nobody tells you upfront—you probably already know more than you think! If you’ve made it through N5, you’ve got a solid foundation. The N4 words build on what you already know, so it’s not like starting from zero.
The frustrating part? There’s no official list from JEES (the test makers), which means we’re all working with educated guesses based on past tests and textbook analysis. But don’t worry—the community has figured this out pretty well over the years.
What You’ll Actually Be Learning (The Real Talk)
When I started studying N4 vocab, I thought it would just be more random words thrown at me. But actually, the categories make a lot of sense:
Daily life stuff became my bread and butter. Words like 食べる (taberu – to eat) and 飲む (nomu – to drink) show up everywhere, and once you nail these basics, conversations start making sense.
Time expressions nearly drove me crazy at first. 午後 (gogo – PM) and 毎週 (maishuu – every week) seem simple, but they’re in every listening section. Trust me on this one.
People and relationships vocabulary was actually fun to learn. 友達 (tomodachi – friend) and 先生 (sensei – teacher) are words you’ll use constantly if you’re planning to actually speak Japanese.
Directions and places saved my life during my first trip to Japan. Knowing 駅 (eki – station) and 右 (migi – right) isn’t just for the test—it’s for surviving!
Feelings and adjectives like 嬉しい (ureshii – happy) and 怖い (kowai – scary) help you actually express yourself instead of just pointing at things.
Why This Actually Matters (Beyond Just Passing a Test)
Here’s something I wish someone had told me earlier: the vocabulary isn’t just about checking boxes on an exam. During the listening section, I realized that knowing these words meant the difference between understanding a conversation and sitting there completely lost.
The reading passages suddenly clicked when I had enough vocabulary under my belt. It’s like having enough puzzle pieces to see the picture—you don’t need every single word, but you need enough to fill in the gaps.
How I Actually Learned 600+ Words (Without Losing My Mind)
Let me share what worked for me, because some methods were complete disasters:
Anki became my best friend. I know, I know—everyone says this, but spaced repetition actually works. I spent about 20 minutes a day reviewing cards, and somehow my brain started remembering things long-term instead of forgetting them the next day.
Pre-made JLPT N4 decks saved my sanity. Instead of making my own cards (which took forever), I found decks that other people had already perfected. Why reinvent the wheel?
Reading simple stories helped everything click. Graded readers felt juvenile at first, but seeing vocabulary in context made it stick so much better than isolated flashcards.
YouTube became my listening practice. I found channels with N4-level conversations, and suddenly the words I’d been memorizing started appearing in real speech patterns.
Writing in Japanese felt awkward but helped. I started keeping a simple journal using new words, even if my sentences were terrible. Something about writing them down made them stick.
The Tools That Actually Helped (And the Ones That Didn’t)
What worked: Anki for daily drilling, LingoDeer for grammar context, and BunPro for seeing how words fit into sentences. Minna no Nihongo II became my bible, even though it’s not the most exciting read.
What I wasted time on: Trying to memorize kanji separately from vocabulary (big mistake), and using apps that gamified everything so much that I forgot I was supposed to be learning actual Japanese.
Websites that saved me: JLPT Sensei for quick lookups, and Tofugu for making grammar actually make sense.
The Reality Check You Need
Here’s the honest truth: learning 600 vocabulary words takes time. I spent about 3-4 months really focusing on N4 vocab, studying a little bit every day. Some days I felt like a genius, other days I couldn’t remember words I’d “learned” the week before.
The breakthrough moment came when I was watching a Japanese drama and realized I understood way more than I expected. All those hours of flashcards and awkward pronunciation practice had actually worked.
What I’d Tell Past Me (And What I’m Telling You)
Don’t try to learn everything at once. Pick 10-15 new words a day and really focus on understanding them, not just memorizing them. Use them in sentences, even if they’re silly ones.
Also, don’t stress about being perfect. The goal is communication, not perfection. I passed N4 even though I still mixed up some vocabulary words during the test.
Most importantly, remember that these 600 words aren’t just test preparation—they’re your foundation for actually using Japanese in the real world. Every word you learn opens up new conversations, new understanding, and new possibilities.
You’ve got this! The mountain of vocabulary might look intimidating now, but take it one word at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be ready to tackle that test with confidence.