JLPT Adverbs List
Complete Guide to All Adverbs from JLPT N5 → N1
Master Japanese Adverbs for JLPT Success
This guide covers all essential adverbs (副詞 / fukushi) you need to know for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), from beginner level N5 up to advanced level N1.
Adverbs are powerful tools in Japanese because they modify verbs, adjectives, and even entire sentences, adding nuance and accuracy to your expression.
📘 Levels Covered: N5 • N4 • N3 • N2 • N1
200+ Total Adverbs
5 JLPT Levels
副詞 Vocabulary Type
🎯 Pro Tip: Click on each list to explore adverbs by JLPT level with readings, meanings, and example sentences.
| # | Adverbs | Japanese | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chotto | ちょっと | a little | N5 | |
| choudo | 丁度【ちょうど】 | exactly | N5 | |
| daijoubu | 大丈夫【だいじょうぶ】 | OK; okay; alright; problem free | N5 | |
| dandan | だんだん | gradually | N5 | |
| dou | どう | how; in what way; how about | N5 | |
| doumo | どうも | thank you; thanks | N5 | |
| doushite | どうして | why; for what reason; how | N5 | |
| douzo | どうぞ | please | N5 | |
| hajimete | 初めて【はじめて】 | for the first time | N5 | |
| hitori | 一人【ひとり】 | one person ; alone; single | N5 | |
| ichiban | 一番【いちばん】 | number one; first; 1st, first place ; best; most | N5 | |
| ikaga | いかが | how; in what way; how about | N5 | |
| ikura | いくら | how much?; how many? | N5 | |
| ikutsu | いくつ | how many?,how old? | N5 | |
| iroiro | 色々 【いろいろ】 | various | N5 | |
| issho ni | 一緒に【いっしょに】 | together | N5 | |
| itsumo | いつも | always; usually; habitually | N5 | |
| kekkou | 結構【けっこう】 | splendid, enough | N5 | |
| mada | まだ | still; not yet | N5 | |
| mada ~te imasen | まだ～ていません | have not yet ~ | N5 | |
| mae ni | 前に【まえに】 | before; in front of ~ | N5 | |
| massugu | 真っ直ぐ【まっすぐ】 | straight ahead,direct | N5 | |
| minna | みんな | all; everyone; everybody | N5 | |
| motto | もっと | more; longer; further | N5 | |
| mou | もう | already; anymore; again; other | N5 | |
| naze | 何故【なぜ】 | why; how | N5 | |
| onaji | 同じ【おなじ】 | same | N5 | |
| sugu ni | 直ぐに【すぐに 】 | immediately; right away; instantly | N5 | |
| sukoshi | 少し【すこし】 | a little (bit); small quantity; few; short distance | N5 | |
| tabun | 多分【たぶん】 | perhaps; probably | N5 | |
| taihen | 大変 【たいへん】 | very; greatly; terribly; serious; difficult | N5 | |
| tokidoki | 時々【ときどき】 | sometimes; at times | N5 | |
| totemo | とても | very; awfully; exceedingly | N5 | |
| yoku | よく | often, well | N5 | |
| yukkuri | ゆっくり | slowly | N5 | |
| aa | ああ | ah; yes | N4 | |
| aida ni | 間に【あいだに】 | while; during~ something happened | N4 | |
| amari~nai | あまり～ない | not very, not much ~ | N4 | |
| ato de | 後で【あとで】 | after~; later | N4 | |
| bikkuri | びっくり | to be surprised | N4 | |
| daibu | 大分【だいぶ】 | considerably; greatly; a lot | N4 | |
| dekiru dake | できるだけ | as much as possible | N4 | |
| dondon | どんどん | rapidly; more and more | N4 | |
| futsuu | 普通 【ふつう】 | usually | N4 | |
| hakkiri | はっきり | clearly | N4 | |
| hijou ni | 非常に【ひじょうに】 | extremely | N4 | |
| ippai | いっぱい | full | N4 | |
| juubun | 十分【じゅうぶん】 | enough; sufficient; plenty; adequate; satisfactory | N4 | |
| ka dou ka | かどうか | whether or not ~ | N4 | |
| kanarazu | 必ず【かならず】 | always; certainly | N4 | |
| kitto | きっと | surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly; most likely | N4 | |
| kou | こう | this way | N4 | |
| ku suru | くする | to make something ~ | N4 | |
| kyuu ni | 急に【きゅうに】 | quickly; immediately; hastily; suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly ~ | N4 | |
| made ni | までに | by; by the time; indicates time limit | N4 | |
| mazu | まず | first of all | N4 | |
| mitai ni | みたいに | like; similar to ~ | N4 | |
| moshi | もし | if; in case; supposing | N4 | |
| mousugu | もうすぐ | soon | N4 | |
| nakanaka~nai | なかなか～ない | not easy to; struggling to; not able to ~ | N4 | |
| naruhodo | なるほど | now I understand | N4 | |
| no naka de | の中で【のなかで】 | in; among ~ | N4 | |
| sasuga | さすが | as one would expect; as is to be expected; even ~ | N4 | |
| shikkari | しっかり | firmly; steadily | N4 | |
| sonna ni | そんなに | so much; so; like that | N4 | |
| sore hodo | それほど | to that extent | N4 | |
| sorosoro | そろそろ | gradually; soon | N4 | |
| sou da [2] | そうだ | looks like; appears like; seeming ~ | N4 | |
| sukkari | すっかり | completely | N4 | |
| taitei | たいてい | usually | N4 | |
| tamani | たまに | occasionally | N4 | |
| tokuni | 特に【とくに】 | particularly; especially; in particular; expressly | N4 | |
| toutou | 到頭【とうとう】 | finally, after all | N4 | |
| tsugou | 都合【つごう】 | convenience | N4 | |
| yappari | やっぱり | as I thought | N4 | |
| yatto | やっと | at last; finally; barely; narrowly ~ | N4 | |
| yori | より | than; rather than; more than ~ | N4 | |
| zehi | ぜひ | by all means; certainly; definitely ~ | N4 | |
| zenzen | 全然【ぜんぜん】 | not entirely (used in a negative sentence) | N4 | |
| zenzen~nai | 全然～ない【ぜんぜん～ない】 | (not) at all | N4 | |
| amari | あまり | so much… that | N3 | |
| amari ni mo | あまりにも | too much; so much… that; excessively ~ | N3 | |
| betsu ni~nai | 別に～ない【べつに～ない】 | not really, not particularly | N3 | |
| donna ni~temo | どんなに～ても | no matter how (much) | N3 | |
| doushitemo | どうしても | no matter what; at any cost; after all ~ | N3 | |
| futatabi | 再び【ふたたび】 | again; once more; a second time | N3 | |
| futo | ふと | suddenly; accidentally; unexpectedly; unintentionally ~ | N3 | |
| ichido ni | 一度に【いちどに】 | all at once | N3 | |
| igai | 意外【いがい】 | unexpected; surprising | N3 | |
| ikura~temo | いくら～ても | no matter how ~ | N3 | |
| imani | 今に【いまに】 | before long; even now | N3 | |
| imanimo | 今にも【いまにも】 | at any moment; at any minute; on the verge of | N3 | |
| isshu | 一種【いっしゅ】 | species; kind; variety | N3 | |
| issou | 一層【いっそう】 | much more; still more; all the more; single layer; sooner; preferably | N3 | |
| ittai | 一体【いったい】 | (what) the heck; (why) in the world | N3 | |
| ittai | 一体【いったい】 | emphasis; what on earth; what in the world | N3 | |
| ka nani ka | か何か【かなにか】 | or something ~ | N3 | |
| kekkyoku | 結局【けっきょく】 | after all; eventually; in the end ~ | N3 | |
| kesshite~nai | 決して～ない【けっして～ない】 | never; by no means ~ | N3 | |
| kyuuni | 急に【きゅうに】 | swiftly; rapidly; quickly; immediately; hastily | N3 | |
| manichi | 万一【まんいち】 | emergency; unlikely event ; by some chance; by some possibility | N3 | |
| maru de | まるで | as if; as though; just like ~ | N3 | |
| metta ni~nai | めったに～ない | hardly; rarely; seldom | N3 | |
| moshika shitara | もしかしたら | perhaps; maybe; perchance; by any chance ~ | N3 | |
| moshimo~tara | もしも〜たら | if; in the case; supposing ~ | N3 | |
| mushiro | むしろ | rather; instead; better ~ | N3 | |
| nakanaka | なかなか | very; quite; pretty; rather; just not ~ | N3 | |
| nanka / nante / nado | なんか / なんて / など | give examples; show modesty; make light of ~ | N3 | |
| naru beku | なるべく | as much as possible | N3 | |
| sai ni | 際に【さいに】 | when; at the time of; in the case of ~ | N3 | |
| saichuu ni | 最中に【さいちゅうに】 | while; during; in the middle of ~ | N3 | |
| sara ni | さらに | furthermore; again; more and more ~ | N3 | |
| seizei | せいぜい | at the most; at best; to the utmost | N3 | |
| shibaraku | しばらく | for a moment; for a while; for the time being | N3 | |
| sude ni | すでに | something has already been done/taken place; is already the case | N3 | |
| sukoshimo | 少しも【すこしも】 | anything of; not one bit (with negative sentence) | N3 | |
| sunawachi | すなわち | in other words; namely ~ | N3 | |
| ta totan | たとたん | as soon as; just as ~ | N3 | |
| tabi ni | たびに | whenever; every time ~ | N3 | |
| tashika ni | 確かに【たしかに】 | surely, certainly ~ | N3 | |
| tashou | 多少【たしょう】 | more or less; somewhat; a little; a few; some | N3 | |
| tatoe~temo | たとえ～ても | even if… is the case | N3 | |
| tatoeba | 例えば【たとえば】 | for example; for instance ~ | N3 | |
| to tomo ni | と共に【とともに】 | together with; at the same time as; as well as ~ | N3 | |
| tochuu de / tochuu ni | 途中で/途中に【とちゅうで/とちゅうに】 | on the way; in the middle of ~ | N3 | |
| toori ni | とおりに | in the same way as; in the way; as ~ | N3 | |
| totemo~nai | とても～ない | cannot possibly be; hardly ~ | N3 | |
| tsui | つい | accidentally; unintentionally; by mistake | N3 | |
| tsui ni | ついに | finally; at last; in the end ~ | N3 | |
| tsuide ni | ついでに | while, incidentally, at the same time, on the way ~ | N3 | |
| tsumari | つまり | in other words; in summary; in short ~ | N3 | |
| wa mochiron | はもちろん | not to mention; not only ... but also ~ | N3 | |
| wari ni | 割に【わりに】 | considering ~; for ~; despite ~ | N3 | |
| wazato | わざと | on purpose; intentionally ~ | N3 | |
| wazawaza | わざわざ | to go to the trouble of; to go out of one's way to ~ | N3 | |
| zuibun | 随分【ずいぶん】 | very; extremely; surprisingly; considerably; awfully | N3 | |
| aruiwa | あるいは | or; either; maybe; perhaps; possibly ~ | N2 | |
| bakari ni | ばかりに | simply because; on account of~ (negative result) | N2 | |
| dou yara | どうやら | possibly; apparently; seems like; somehow; barely ~ | N2 | |
| douse | どうせ | anyhow; in any case; at any rate; after all; no matter what | N2 | |
| futatabi | 再び【ふたたび】 | again; once more | N2 | |
| gyaku ni | 逆に【ぎゃくに】 | conversely; on the contrary ~ | N2 | |
| hanmen | 反面【はんめん】 | while, although; on the other hand~ | N2 | |
| hatashite | 果たして【はたして】 | as was expected; sure enough; really; actually ~ | N2 | |
| ichiou | 一応【いちおう】 | more or less; pretty much; roughly; tentatively ~ | N2 | |
| igai | 以外【いがい】 | with the exception of; excepting ~ | N2 | |
| ijou ni | 以上に【いじょうに】 | more than; not less than; beyond ~ | N2 | |
| ikinari | いきなり | abruptly; suddenly; all of a sudden; without warning | N2 | |
| ikki ni | 一気に【いっきに】 | in one go; without stopping; all at once; immediately; instantly; right away ~ | N2 | |
| ittan | 一旦【いったん】 | once; for a short time; briefly; temporarily | N2 | |
| madashimo | まだしも | rather; better ~ | N2 | |
| mattaku~nai | 全く～ない【まったく～ない】 | not at all ~ | N2 | |
| motomoto | 元々【もともと】 | originally, by nature, from the start | N2 | |
| nao | なお | still; yet ; furthermore; in addition ~ | N2 | |
| osoraku | 恐らく【おそらく】 | perhaps; likely; probably; I dare say ~ | N2 | |
| roku ni~nai | ろくに～ない | not well; not enough; improperly; insufficiently; unsatisfactorily ~ | N2 | |
| saisan | 再三【さいさん】 | again and again; repeatedly | N2 | |
| saiwai na koto ni | 幸いなことに【さいわいなことに】 | fortunately; luckily; thankfully ~ | N2 | |
| sassoku | 早速【さっそく】 | at once; immediately; without delay; promptly | N2 | |
| sekkaku | せっかく | especially; (thank you for) troubling to, going to great pains for ~ | N2 | |
| semete | せめて | at least; at most ~ | N2 | |
| shidai ni | 次第に【しだいに】 | gradually (progress into a state); in sequence; in order | N2 | |
| sono ue | その上【そのうえ】 | besides; in addition; furthermore ~ | N2 | |
| sue ni | 末に【すえに】 | finally; after; following; at the end/ conclusion of ~ | N2 | |
| sukoshi mo~nai | 少しも～ない【すこしも～ない】 | not one bit; not even a little ~ | N2 | |
| sukunaku tomo | 少なくとも【すくなくとも】 | at least ~ | N2 | |
| tadachi ni | 直ちに【ただちに】 | at once; immediately; directly; in person; automatically ~ | N2 | |
| to douji ni | と同時に【とどうじに】 | at the same time as; while; simultaneously ~ | N2 | |
| tokku ni | とっくに | long ago; already; a long time ago | N2 | |
| wa moto yori | はもとより | also; let alone; from the beginning | N2 | |
| wa tomokaku | はともかく | anyhow; anyway; regardless; in any case; whether or not ~ | N2 | |
| wazuka ni | わずかに | slightly; only; barely; narrowly ~ | N2 | |
| yagate | やがて | before long; soon; almost; eventually ~ | N2 | |
| yohodo / yoppodo | よほど / よっぽど | very; greatly; much; to a large extent | N2 | |
| you suru ni | 要するに【ようするに】 | in short; in a word; to sum up; to put it simply ~ | N2 | |
| aete | 敢えて【あえて】 | dare to; daringly; deliberately; purposely ~ | N1 | |
| akumade mo | あくまでも | to the end; persistently; absolutely; is still very ~ | N1 | |
| an no jou | 案の定【あんのじょう】 | just as one thought; as usual; sure enough | N1 | |
| arakajime | あらかじめ | beforehand; in advance; previously | N1 | |
| dou nimo~nai | どうにも～ない | not … by any means; no matter how hard one tries, cannot ~ | N1 | |
| gotoki / gotoku / gotoshi | ごとき / ごとく / ごとし | like; as if; the same as ~ | N1 | |
| ikani | いかに | how; in what way; how much; to what extent | N1 | |
| ikani mo | いかにも | indeed; really; truly; just (like); very; extremely ~ | N1 | |
| katagata | かたがた | while; at the same time; incidentally; for the purpose of ~ | N1 | |
| katawara | かたわら | while; besides; at the same time; in addition | N1 | |
| katsute | かつて | once; before; formerly; ever; former; ex- | N1 | |
| koto gotoku | ことごとく | altogether; entirely; completely ~ | N1 | |
| marukkiri | まるっきり | completely; absolutely; totally; (not) at all ~ | N1 | |
| mohaya | もはや | already; now; no longer; not anymore | N1 | |
| nan to iu / nanto / nante | なんという / なんと / なんて | how (beautiful, etc.); what a ~ | N1 | |
| nani shiro | 何しろ【なにしろ】 | at any rate; after all; anyhow; anyway; in any case; because; as you know ~ | N1 | |
| nari ni / nari no | なりに / なりの | suitable; in one's own way/style | N1 | |
| nari tomo | なりとも | at least; even just a little (adverbial particle) | N1 | |
| no nan notte | のなんのって | extremely ~ (cannot be expressed in words) | N1 | |
| ori ni | 折に【おりに】 | when; at the time; on the occasion ~ | N1 | |
| oyoso | およそ | about; roughly; generally; approximately; completely ~ | N1 | |
| samo | さも | really (seem, appear, etc.); truly; as if ~ | N1 | |
| sazo | さぞ | surely; certainly; no doubt; indeed ~ | N1 | |
| ta hazumi ni / ta hyoushi ni | た弾みに / た拍子に【たはずみに / たひょうしに】 | the moment [A], unintentionally / inadvertently caused something to happen | N1 | |
| tada~nomi da | ただ～のみだ | all we can do is; can do nothing but; only ~ | N1 | |
| to aimatte | と相まって【とあいまって】 | together with..., more; because of the influence of..., more ~ | N1 | |
| tomo sureba | ともすれば | apt to (do); tend to; liable to; prone to ~ | N1 | |
| toriwake | とりわけ | especially; above all ~ | N1 | |
| tossa ni | とっさに | at once; right away; promptly | N1 |