Characters and Vocabulary

1. N4's 300 kanji: expanding with on'yomi compounds

You add 200 characters to the 100 of N5. From N4, on'yomi compounds (会社・電話・時間・料理) become the core. Learning by radical and sound patterns is fast.

The kanji added at N4 are those used in compounds for daily life, work, and school. Time (朝・昼・夜・週・曜・春夏秋冬・始・終・早・遅), people and body (自分・兄弟姉妹・顔・目・耳・口・手・足・体・力), places (町・村・区・国・世界・家・室・場・院・館・館・堂・園・館), movement (動・働・使・作・送・持・待・歩・走・泳・思・考・知・教・習・借・貸・開・閉・売・集・切・通・住・転・急・引・押), states (元気・病気・便利・有名・大切・特別・親切・自由・安全・危険), and society (会社・仕事・社員・銀行・料理・旅行・映画・音楽・写真・文化・勉強・研究・質問・問題・答).

For on'yomi, characters with the same phonetic component often share the same reading. 青 (せい) → 晴・清・精, 生 (せい) → 性・姓, 工 (こう) → 功・紅・江. Paying attention to the phonetic component raises the chance that you can read a kanji you see for the first time.

In addition to the same “kanji reading” and “orthography” formats as N5, N4 character questions add vocabulary questions (usage) that test how words are used. In kanji reading, the answer choices test how you write long vowels and the small っ (学校＝がっこう, 切手＝きって, 一週間＝いっしゅうかん).

Tips: ① Learn 15 characters a day “by compound,” not as single characters. ② Watch out for “same kun reading, different kanji”: 開ける (あける) / 空ける / 明ける, 会う / 合う, 聞く / 効く. N4 has orthography questions on “kanji with the same reading but different meanings.” ③ Opposite pairs: 始・終, 開・閉, 売・買, 貸・借, 送・受, 動・止, 暑・寒, 明・暗, 強・弱, 軽・重.

How it is tested: the reading of an underlined word in a sentence (4 choices), and the kanji that fits a hiragana word (4 choices). Aim for 10 seconds per question, and if you are unsure, judge by the sound of the whole compound.

Terms

音符 (onpu, phonetic component)

The part of a kanji that indicates its sound (青→晴・清)

同訓異字 (dōkun-iji, same kun reading, different kanji)

Kanji with the same reading but different meanings (開ける / 空ける)

Examples

Source: JLPT official website, “N1–N5: Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” / “Sample Questions”

2. N4's 1,500 words: more types of verbs

N4 vocabulary questions add “usage” (choosing the sentence that uses the word correctly). Learning verbs in groups, such as “intransitive and transitive verbs” and “compound verbs,” makes you strong at usage questions.

Intransitive and transitive verbs: 開く / 開ける, 閉まる / 閉める, 始まる / 始める, 止まる / 止める, 入る / 入れる, 出る / 出す, 落ちる / 落とす, 壊れる / 壊す, 消える / 消す, 決まる / 決める. 「ドアが開く」 (intransitive) and 「ドアを開ける」 (transitive). The particle, 「が」 or 「を」, decides which one. They appear frequently in both N4 grammar and vocabulary.

Compound verbs and derivations: 〜始める (食べ始める), 〜終わる (読み終わる), 〜すぎる (食べすぎる), 〜やすい／〜にくい (分かりやすい・読みにくい), 〜出す (走り出す), and 〜続ける (走り続ける). They attach to the form with 「ます」 removed from the ます-form (the stem).

Adverbs: adverbs are what make the difference in N4 vocabulary. Degree (とても・かなり・ずいぶん・少し・ちょっと・あまり〜ない・ぜんぜん〜ない), frequency (いつも・よく・時々・たまに・めったに〜ない・ぜんぜん〜ない), time (もう・まだ・すぐ・さっき・あとで・これから・だんだん・急に), and manner (ゆっくり・はっきり・しっかり・きちんと・ちゃんと・やっと・ちょうど・ぜひ・きっと・たぶん). The pairing of 「まだ〜ていません」 and 「もう〜ました」 always appears.

Katakana words and native Japanese words: アルバイト・レポート・スケジュール・チェック・サービス・パソコン・メール・ニュース・スポーツ・ドラマ. Distinguish 「仕事」 from 「アルバイト」, and 「調べる」 from 「チェックする」.

How to solve usage questions: four sentences are lined up, and you choose the one in which the underlined word is used correctly. Narrow them down by three points: “the word's particle,” “whether the subject is a person or a thing,” and “whether it pairs with affirmative or negative.” Example: 「めったに」 pairs with the negative (めったに行きません).

Terms

自動詞 (intransitive verb)

A movement of the subject itself (ドアが開く)

他動詞 (transitive verb)

A movement that acts on an object (ドアを開ける)

用法 (usage)

A question format where you choose the correct use of a word

Examples

Source: JLPT official website, “N1–N5: Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” / “Sample Questions”

3. Using words of similar meaning correctly: paraphrases and synonyms

「うれしい／楽しい」, 「上手／得意」, and 「見る／見える」. N4 paraphrases test the nuance of similar words. Learn the differences as pairs.

Emotions: うれしい (temporary, about an event) / 楽しい (while spending time). 悲しい / さびしい (because someone is not there). 怖い (there is an object) / 心配 (about the future). 恥ずかしい. 困る. びっくりする＝驚く.

Ability and state: 上手 (praising another person) / 得意 (used for yourself). 下手 / 苦手. 分かる / 知る (「知っています」 is a state; 「分かります」 is understanding). 見る / 見える (comes into view naturally) / 見せる. 聞く / 聞こえる (comes to the ears naturally). できる (possible / completed).

Actions: 借りる／貸す (opposite directions), もらう／くれる／あげる (point of view), 教える／習う, 送る／届く, 返す／返る, and 迎える／送る (for people). The difference between 「〜てもらう」 and 「〜てくれる」 also appears in grammar.

Pairs that often appear in paraphrases: たずねる＝聞く (to ask) / 訪ねる＝行く (to visit), しらべる＝検索する (to look up), はこぶ＝持って行く (to carry), つたえる＝言う・知らせる (to convey), ほめる (to praise), しかる (to scold), あやまる（謝る） (to apologize), さそう（誘う） (to invite), まにあう（間に合う） (to be in time), なおす（直す・治す） (to fix / to cure), しゅうりする＝直す (to repair), きんじょ＝近く (neighborhood), しゅっぱつする＝出る (to depart), とうちゃくする＝着く (to arrive), るす＝家にいない (not at home), ていねい＝丁寧 (polite).

How it is tested: paraphrase questions read 「＿＿の文と だいたい 同じ 意味の 文は どれですか」 (“Which sentence has about the same meaning as the sentence with the underline?”). Because you choose the one whose whole-sentence meaning is the same, check not only the word replacement but also that negative and affirmative have not been reversed.

Terms

言い換え類義 (paraphrases and synonyms)

Questions where you choose a sentence with almost the same meaning

視点 (point of view)

In giving and receiving verbs (あげる・くれる・もらう), from whose viewpoint the expression is made

Examples

Source: JLPT official website, “N1–N5: Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” / “Sample Questions”

4. Expressions of number, time, and degree: 〜ごろ / 〜ぐらい / 〜まで / 〜までに

「3時ごろ」, 「3時間ぐらい」, 「3時まで」, and 「3時までに」. This lesson sorts out the N4 pitfall where one character changes the meaning.

「〜ごろ」 gives an approximate clock time or period (3時ごろ・来月ごろ). 「〜ぐらい／くらい」 gives an approximate quantity or length of time (3時間ぐらい・100人ぐらい・3日ぐらい). 「3時ごろ」 is fine; 「3時ぐらい」 is also used in conversation, but in N4 questions solve them by “clock time → ごろ, quantity → ぐらい.”

「〜まで」 is the end of something continuing (5時まで働きます). 「〜までに」 is a deadline (5時までに帰ります = at some point before 5). After 「まで」 comes a continuing action, and after 「までに」 comes a one-time action. This is also tested in listening.

「〜間（あいだ）」 and 「〜間に（あいだに）」: 「夏休みの間、旅行していました」 (all through it) and 「夏休みの間に、旅行しました」 (at some point within it). Also 「〜ごとに／〜おきに」 (2日ごとに・1日おきに), 「〜ずつ」 (1つずつ), 「〜ばかり」 (〜ばかり食べる), 「〜だけ」, and 「〜しか〜ない」.

Number of times and order: 〜回目, 〜番目, 初めて, 最後に, まず・次に・それから・最後に. Degree: 〜すぎる, 〜ほど, 〜より, もっと, ずっと, 一番. The point that 「〜しか + negative」 has the same meaning as 「〜だけ」 but pairs with the negative form is tested.

How it is tested: in contextually defined expression questions, you put 「ごろ／ぐらい／まで／までに／しか／だけ」 in the 「（　）」. In listening point comprehension: 「何時までに来なければならないか」 (“By what time must they come?”).

Terms

ごろ／ぐらい

Use ごろ for clock times and ぐらい for quantities

まで／までに

The end of something continuing / a deadline

Examples

Source: JLPT official website, “N1–N5: Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” / “Sample Questions”

Practice: solve this chapter's questions

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