JLPT N4 Grammar List
Comprehensive guide to essential grammar points for Japanese intermediate learners
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Welcome! This page contains a full collection of Japanese grammar points that are often tested on the JLPT N4 exam.
Click on each lesson to view detailed explanations, example sentences, conjugation rules, and practical tips.
You must also review grammar from N5 to succeed.
132+ Grammar Lessons
N4 JLPT Level
Intermediate Difficulty
🎯 Pro Tip: Click on any lesson link to explore grammar structures, usage, and examples for effective practice.
# | Grammar Lesson | 文法レッスン | Grammar Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
1 | aida | 間(あいだ) | while; during; between ~ |
2 | aida ni | 間に(あいだに) | while; during~ something happened |
3 | amari~nai | あまり~ない | not very, not much ~ |
4 | ato de | 後で(あとで) | after~; later |
5 | ba | ば | conditional form; If [A] then [B] |
6 | baai wa | 場合は(ばあいは) | in the event of; in the case that ~ |
7 | bakari | ばかり | only; nothing but ~ |
8 | dake de | だけで | just by; just by doing |
9 | dasu | 出す(だす) | to begin to; to start to; to burst into; ... out (e.g. to jump out, to carry out) |
10 | de gozaimasu | でございます | to be (honorific) |
11 | demo | でも | ... or something; how about~ |
12 | dewa nai ka | ではないか | right?; isn't it? |
13 | ga hitsuyou | が必要(がひつよう) | need; necessary |
14 | ga suru | がする | to smell; hear; taste |
15 | gari | がり | personality (someone tends to; has a tendency to; has a sensitivity to ~) |
16 | garu / gatteiru | がる / がっている | to show signs of; to appear; to feel, to think ~ |
17 | gozaimasu | ございます | to be, to exist (the polite form of いる/ある) |
18 | hajimeru | 始める(はじめる) | to start; to begin to ~ |
19 | hazu da | はずだ | it must be; it should be (expectation) |
20 | hazu ga nai | はずがない | cannot be (impossible) |
21 | hitsuyou ga aru | 必要がある(ひつようがある) | need to; it is necessary to |
22 | ikou kei - volitional form | 意向形 (いこうけい) | volitional form ; let's do ~ |
23 | irassharu | いらっしゃる | to be; to come; to go (polite version) |
24 | itashimasu | いたします | to do (polite form of する) |
25 | janai ka | じゃないか | right? isn't it? let's~; confirmation |
26 | ka dou ka | かどうか | whether or not ~ |
27 | ka shira | かしら | I wonder (feminine) |
28 | kai | かい | turns a sentence into a yes/no question |
29 | kamo shirenai | かもしれない | might; perhaps; indicates possibility |
30 | kana | かな | I wonder; should I? |
31 | kara tsukuru | から作る(からつくる) | made from; made with |
32 | kitto | きっと | surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly; most likely |
33 | koro / goro | 頃(ころ / ごろ) | around; about; when |
34 | koto | こと | Verb nominalizer |
35 | koto ga aru | ことがある | there are times when |
36 | koto ga dekiru | ことができる | can; able to |
37 | koto ni naru | ことになる | It has been decided that..; it turns out that.. |
38 | koto ni suru | ことにする | to decide on |
39 | ku suru | くする | to make something ~ |
40 | kyuu ni | 急に(きゅうに) | quickly; immediately; hastily; suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly ~ |
41 | made ni | までに | by; by the time; indicates time limit |
42 | mama | まま | as it is; current state; without changing |
43 | matawa | または | both; or; otherwise ; choice between [A] or [B] |
44 | mitai da | みたいだ | like; similar to; resembling ~ |
45 | mitai na | みたいな | like, similar to ~ |
46 | mitai ni | みたいに | like; similar to ~ |
47 | mo | も | as many as; as much as; up to; nearly ~ |
48 | na | な | don’t ~ (order somebody to not do something) |
49 | nado | など | such as; things like ~ |
50 | nagara | ながら | while; during; as; simultaneously |
51 | nakanaka~nai | なかなか~ない | not easy to; struggling to; not able to ~ |
52 | nakereba ikenai | なければいけない | must do something; have to do something |
53 | nakereba naranai | なければならない | must do something; have to do something |
54 | nara | なら | if; in the case that ~ |
55 | nasai | なさい | do this (soft/firm command) |
56 | nasaru | なさる | to do (honorific) |
57 | ni ki ga tsuku | に気がつく(にきがつく) | to notice; to realize |
58 | ni mieru | に見える(にみえる) | to look; to seem; to appear |
59 | ni suru | にする | to make something ~ |
60 | nikui | にくい | difficult to do ~ |
61 | no naka de | の中で(のなかで) | in; among ~ |
62 | noni | のに | although, in spite of, even though ~ |
63 | noni | のに | to (do something); in order to ~ |
64 | nowa~da | のは〜だ | [A] is [B]; the reason for [A] is [B] |
65 | o~kudasai | お~ください | please do ~ (honorific) |
66 | o~ni naru | お~になる | to do (honorific) |
67 | oki ni | おきに | repeated at intervals, every ~ |
68 | owaru | 終わる(おわる) | to finish; to end~ |
69 | rareru | られる | potential form; ability or inability to do something |
70 | rashii | らしい | it seems like; I heard; apparently ~ |
71 | sa | さ | -ness ; nominalizer for adjective |
72 | sakki | さっき | some time ago; just now |
73 | saserareru | させられる | causative-passive; to be made to do something |
74 | saseru | させる | causative form; to make/let somebody do something |
75 | sasete kudasai | させてください | please let me do |
76 | sasuga | さすが | as one would expect; as is to be expected; even ~ |
77 | shi | し | and; and what’s more ~ (emphasis) |
78 | sonna ni | そんなに | so much; so; like that |
79 | sore demo | それでも | but still; and yet; even so ~ |
80 | sore ni | それに | besides; in addition; also; moreover ~ |
81 | sou da [1] | そうだ | I heard that; it is said that ~ |
82 | sou da [2] | そうだ | looks like; appears like; seeming ~ |
83 | sou ni / sou na | そうに / そうな | seems like; looks like ~ |
84 | ta bakari | たばかり | just finished; something just occurred |
85 | ta tokoro | たところ | just finished doing, was just doing |
86 | tadoushi & jidoushi | 他動詞 & 自動詞(たどうし & じどうし) | Transitive & Intransitive Verbs |
87 | tagaru | たがる | wants to do ~ (third person) |
88 | tara | たら | if; after; when ~ |
89 | tara dou | たらどう | why don't you; how about ~ (used to give advice) |
90 | tara ii desu ka | たらいいですか | what should I do?; speaker seeking instructions from listener |
91 | te / de | て / で | conjunctive particle; so; because of [A], [B]... |
92 | te ageru | てあげる | to do for; to do a favor |
93 | te hoshii | てほしい | I want you to; need you to ~ |
94 | te iku | ていく | to start; to continue; to go on |
95 | te ita | ていた | was doing something (past continuous) |
96 | te itadakemasen ka | ていただけませんか | could you please ~ |
97 | te kureru | てくれる | to do a favor; do something for someone |
98 | te kuru | てくる | to do… and come back; to become; to continue; to start ~ |
99 | te miru | てみる | try doing |
100 | te morau | てもらう | to get somebody to do something |
101 | te oku | ておく | to do something in advance |
102 | te shimau / chau | てしまう / ちゃう | to do something by accident, to finish completely |
103 | te sumimasen | てすみません | I’m sorry for |
104 | te yaru | てやる | to do for; to do a favor (casual) |
105 | te yokatta | てよかった | I’m glad that ~ |
106 | teiru tokoro | ているところ | in the process of doing |
107 | temo | ても | even; even if; even though ~ |
108 | to | と | whenever [A] happens, [B] also happens |
109 | to ittemo ii | と言ってもいい(といってもいい) | you could say; one might say; I'd say ~ |
110 | to iu | という | called; named; that ~ |
111 | to iu koto | ということ | convert phrase into noun |
112 | to iwarete iru | と言われている(といわれている) | it is said that ~ |
113 | to kiita | と聞いた(ときいた) | I heard... |
114 | to omou | と思う(とおもう) | to think…; I think…; you think… |
115 | toka~toka | とか~とか | among other things; such as; like ~ |
116 | tokoro | ところ | just about to; on the verge of doing something |
117 | tsuzukeru | 続ける(つづける) | continue to; keen on ~ |
118 | tte | って | named; called ~ |
119 | ukemi kei | 受身形(うけみけい) | passive form; passive voice |
120 | wa~ga... wa | は〜が… は | [A] but [B]; however; comparison |
121 | yasui | やすい | easy to; likely to; prone to; have a tendency to ~ |
122 | yatto | やっと | at last; finally; barely; narrowly ~ |
123 | yori | より | than; rather than; more than ~ |
124 | yotei da | 予定だ(よていだ) | plan to, intend to |
125 | you da | ようだ | appears; seems; looks as if ~ |
126 | you ni / you na | ように / ような | like; as; similar to ~ |
127 | you ni naru | ようになる | to reach the point that; to come to be that; to turn into ~ |
128 | you ni suru | ようにする | to try to; to make sure that ~ |
129 | you to omou | ようと思う(ようとおもう) | thinking of doing; planning to ~ |
130 | zehi | ぜひ | by all means; certainly; definitely ~ |
131 | zenzen~nai | 全然~ない(ぜんぜん~ない) | (not) at all |
132 | zurai | づらい | difficult to do ~ |