Learning JLPT N5 verbs with Anki works best when you memorise each word with its meaning, category, and a useful sentence. An isolated translation may help recognition, but the JLPT also tests how verbs behave in context.
A strong beginner system combines vocabulary review with active verb conjugation practice. You should be able to recognise a verb, then produce its plain form, masu-form, te-form, plain negative, past, and past-negative forms.
Which JLPT N5 Verbs Should You Learn First?
Start with approximately 80–120 high-frequency verbs rather than trying to download every JLPT verb list you find online. The JLPT does not publish one official N5 vocabulary list, so different study resources organise words into slightly different categories.
Prioritise verbs connected to everyday actions:
- Going, coming, returning, entering, and leaving
- Eating, drinking, buying, and making
- Seeing, listening, reading, and writing
- Speaking, saying, waiting, and meeting
- Studying, working, sleeping, waking, and resting
- Knowing, understanding, using, and giving
Keep kanji on your cards when the word is commonly written that way, but always include the kana reading so you connect spelling with pronunciation. A useful card contains the dictionary form and reading, the English meaning, the verb category, the key conjugated forms, one original example sentence, and a prompt that asks you to produce one conjugated form from memory.
The dictionary form is specifically the non-past affirmative plain form. "Plain form" is a broader category that also includes the negative, past, and past-negative forms.
Godan, Ichidan, and Irregular Verbs
Most beginner verbs fit into godan, ichidan, or irregular categories, and the category lets you predict how the verb changes.
Ichidan verbs drop る (ru, the verb ending) before adding an ending. 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食べます (tabemasu, eat) and 食べて (tabete, eat and then).
Godan verbs change their final sound. 書く (kaku, to write) becomes 書きます (kakimasu, write), 書かない (kakanai, do not write), and 書いて (kaite, write and then).
Do not assume every る-ending verb is ichidan. 入る (hairu, to enter) is godan, while 見る (miru, to see) is ichidan. The main irregular verbs are する (suru, to do) and 来る (kuru, to come), giving します (shimasu, do), して (shite, do and then), 来ます (kimasu, come), and 来て (kite, come and then).
Group verbs by their te-form rule instead of memorising each new form separately:
- く → いて: 書く (kaku, to write) → 書いて (kaite, write and then)
- ぐ → いで: 泳ぐ (oyogu, to swim) → 泳いで (oyoide, swim and then)
- む, ぶ, ぬ → んで: 飲む (nomu, to drink) → 飲んで (nonde, drink and then)
- う, つ, る → って: 買う (kau, to buy) → 買って (katte, buy and then)
- す → して: 話す (hanasu, to speak) → 話して (hanashite, speak and then)
- 行く (iku, to go) is a special case: 行って (itte, go and then)
Core JLPT N5 Verb Conjugation Table
This verbs table is the core of your deck. Each row gives the category, plain non-past (dictionary) form, masu-form, te-form, plain negative, plain past, and plain past-negative, with Japanese script, romaji, and English for every item. Expand it with new words from your textbook until your deck reaches roughly 80–120 verbs.
Category | Plain non-past | Masu-form | Te-form | Plain negative | Plain past | Plain past-negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Godan | 行く — iku — to go | 行きます — ikimasu — go | 行って — itte — go and then | 行かない — ikanai — do not go | 行った — itta — went | 行かなかった — ikanakatta — did not go |
Godan | 帰る — kaeru — to return | 帰ります — kaerimasu — return | 帰って — kaette — return and then | 帰らない — kaeranai — do not return | 帰った — kaetta — returned | 帰らなかった — kaeranakatta — did not return |
Godan | 飲む — nomu — to drink | 飲みます — nomimasu — drink | 飲んで — nonde — drink and then | 飲まない — nomanai — do not drink | 飲んだ — nonda — drank | 飲まなかった — nomanakatta — did not drink |
Godan | 読む — yomu — to read | 読みます — yomimasu — read | 読んで — yonde — read and then | 読まない — yomanai — do not read | 読んだ — yonda — read (past) | 読まなかった — yomanakatta — did not read |
Godan | 書く — kaku — to write | 書きます — kakimasu — write | 書いて — kaite — write and then | 書かない — kakanai — do not write | 書いた — kaita — wrote | 書かなかった — kakanakatta — did not write |
Godan | 聞く — kiku — to listen; to ask | 聞きます — kikimasu — listen; ask | 聞いて — kiite — listen and then | 聞かない — kikanai — do not listen | 聞いた — kiita — listened | 聞かなかった — kikanakatta — did not listen |
Godan | 話す — hanasu — to speak | 話します — hanashimasu — speak | 話して — hanashite — speak and then | 話さない — hanasanai — do not speak | 話した — hanashita — spoke | 話さなかった — hanasanakatta — did not speak |
Godan | 買う — kau — to buy | 買います — kaimasu — buy | 買って — katte — buy and then | 買わない — kawanai — do not buy | 買った — katta — bought | 買わなかった — kawanakatta — did not buy |
Godan | 会う — au — to meet | 会います — aimasu — meet | 会って — atte — meet and then | 会わない — awanai — do not meet | 会った — atta — met | 会わなかった — awanakatta — did not meet |
Godan | 待つ — matsu — to wait | 待ちます — machimasu — wait | 待って — matte — wait and then | 待たない — matanai — do not wait | 待った — matta — waited | 待たなかった — matanakatta — did not wait |
Godan | 使う — tsukau — to use | 使います — tsukaimasu — use | 使って — tsukatte — use and then | 使わない — tsukawanai — do not use | 使った — tsukatta — used | 使わなかった — tsukawanakatta — did not use |
Godan | 作る — tsukuru — to make | 作ります — tsukurimasu — make | 作って — tsukutte — make and then | 作らない — tsukuranai — do not make | 作った — tsukutta — made | 作らなかった — tsukuranakatta — did not make |
Godan | 分かる — wakaru — to understand | 分かります — wakarimasu — understand | 分かって — wakatte — understand and then | 分からない — wakaranai — do not understand | 分かった — wakatta — understood | 分からなかった — wakaranakatta — did not understand |
Godan | 入る — hairu — to enter | 入ります — hairimasu — enter | 入って — haitte — enter and then | 入らない — hairanai — do not enter | 入った — haitta — entered | 入らなかった — hairanakatta — did not enter |
Godan | 泳ぐ — oyogu — to swim | 泳ぎます — oyogimasu — swim | 泳いで — oyoide — swim and then | 泳がない — oyoganai — do not swim | 泳いだ — oyoida — swam | 泳がなかった — oyoganakatta — did not swim |
Ichidan | 食べる — taberu — to eat | 食べます — tabemasu — eat | 食べて — tabete — eat and then | 食べない — tabenai — do not eat | 食べた — tabeta — ate | 食べなかった — tabenakatta — did not eat |
Ichidan | 見る — miru — to see | 見ます — mimasu — see | 見て — mite — see and then | 見ない — minai — do not see | 見た — mita — saw | 見なかった — minakatta — did not see |
Ichidan | 起きる — okiru — to wake up | 起きます — okimasu — wake up | 起きて — okite — wake up and then | 起きない — okinai — do not wake up | 起きた — okita — woke up | 起きなかった — okinakatta — did not wake up |
Ichidan | 寝る — neru — to sleep | 寝ます — nemasu — sleep | 寝て — nete — sleep and then | 寝ない — nenai — do not sleep | 寝た — neta — slept | 寝なかった — nenakatta — did not sleep |
Ichidan | 教える — oshieru — to teach; to tell | 教えます — oshiemasu — teach; tell | 教えて — oshiete — teach and then | 教えない — oshienai — do not teach | 教えた — oshieta — taught | 教えなかった — oshienakatta — did not teach |
Irregular | する — suru — to do | します — shimasu — do | して — shite — do and then | しない — shinai — do not do | した — shita — did | しなかった — shinakatta — did not do |
Irregular | 来る — kuru — to come | 来ます — kimasu — come | 来て — kite — come and then | 来ない — konai — do not come | 来た — kita — came | 来なかった — konakatta — did not come |
How to Build the Anki Deck
Use two card types per verb so recognition and production are trained separately.
Recognition card. The front shows the written word in kanji with its reading in brackets — for example 書く (kaku, to write) — and the back shows reading, meaning, and category. This trains reading, which matters because N5 Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) and Language Knowledge (Grammar) + Reading questions are written.
Production card. The front asks for a specific form in English — for example, "te-form of the verb meaning to write (godan)" — and the back shows the target form with Japanese script, romaji, and meaning. Keep the prompt in English so you are producing Japanese, not just reading it.
Field order for a tab-separated import file:
Front<TAB>Back<TAB>Category<TAB>Dictionary<TAB>Masu<TAB>Te-form<TAB>Plain-negative<TAB>Past<TAB>Past-negative<TAB>Example<TAB>Audio<TAB>Tags
Practical settings and habits:
- Save the file as UTF-8 plain text, choose tab-separated fields at import, and map each column to the matching note field. Check the first few new cards before importing the whole set.
- Tag by category and by rule:
n5,godan,ichidan,irregular,te-ite,te-nde,te-tte. Tags let you drill one conjugation rule at a time. - Keep an Audio field and record yourself, or attach audio from a source you already own; hearing long vowels and small っ (small tsu, the doubled consonant) protects your listening.
- Set a modest daily new-card limit — around ten new verbs a day is sustainable for most beginners — and never let reviews pile up behind new cards.
- For a card you fail repeatedly, do not just press Again forever. Delete it and rewrite it as two easier cards: one meaning-only card, and one single-form conjugation card. Add a sentence you actually said out loud.
Example Sentences in Context
毎日、日記を書いています。 Mainichi, nikki o kaite imasu. I write in my diary every day.
図書館で本を読みます。 Toshokan de hon o yomimasu. I read books at the library.
宿題をしてから、テレビを見ます。 Shukudai o shite kara, terebi o mimasu. After doing my homework, I watch television.
昨日は友達に会いませんでした。 Kinō wa tomodachi ni aimasen deshita. I did not meet my friend yesterday.
Polite ます-style (masu-style, polite speech) is safer with people you do not know well and in service situations. Plain style is common with close friends and family, and it also appears in diaries, grammar explanations, and subordinate clauses — which is exactly why your deck needs both.
Common Mistakes and a Better Review Workflow
Learners often confuse verb category with spelling, assuming every る-ending verb is ichidan, or producing いきて (ikite, a mistaken guess) instead of 行って (itte, go and then). Put the category and any exceptional te-form directly on the card, and drill two or three verbs that share the same rule together.
Beginners also misread visually similar kana — ぬ and め, ね and れ, and in katakana ツ and シ — which quietly corrupts a whole verb's reading; katakana matters here too, because many N5 verbs are loanword plus する (suru, to do) combinations such as コピーする (kopī suru, to make a copy). A teacher can let a learner finish the whole sentence before giving feedback, so the correction attaches to a completed utterance instead of interrupting every attempt, and kana cards revisit the shapes that keep slipping.
A third problem is recognising a conjugation but failing to produce it quickly. Use this workflow when a card fails:
- Read the plain form aloud.
- Say the masu-form from memory.
- Produce the te-form, then the plain negative.
- Make one new sentence about your real day.
- Label the mistake: category, ending, kana reading, pronunciation, meaning, or recall speed.
One-on-one feedback catches what written cards cannot, especially pronunciation and register. A standard Kind Japanese lesson is a focused 25-minute online lesson over LINE, where you can drill a small verb set and a speaking task with a live teacher.
For later progression, the JLPT N4 to N3 Bridge Plan That Actually Works shows how vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening demands increase. If reading speed becomes your bottleneck at that stage, see JLPT N3 Reading Speed Practice That Saves Time.
A small cultural note: keeping a short daily diary in plain form is a very common Japanese study habit, and it gives your verb cards immediate, personal context.
Bring a small group of difficult verbs to a Free Trial Lesson over LINE with Kind Japanese and use the conversation to find your next practice priority.
FAQ
How many JLPT N5 verbs should I add to Anki?
There is no single official N5 verb list, so the right number depends on your study time. Begin with frequent everyday verbs and expand gradually toward roughly 80–120 cards. Add new words from reading and listening practice only after the first group feels reasonably automatic.
Should I learn verbs in plain form or masu-form?
Learn both, and use the dictionary form as the main entry because it identifies the verb and predicts conjugation. Remember that plain form is broader than dictionary form: it also includes negative, past, and past-negative. Practise switching styles so your recall is not tied to one ending.
Is Anki enough for JLPT N5 verb preparation?
Anki is excellent for spaced recall, but it cannot replace reading, listening, and producing sentences aloud. Combine cards with your own examples and occasional teacher feedback. When you miss a card, identify whether the problem was vocabulary, category, conjugation, kana reading, or meaning.
Can a teacher help me practise JLPT N5 verbs?
A teacher can check whether you recognise a verb, conjugate it accurately, pronounce it clearly, and use it naturally. One-on-one online practice also lets you focus on recurring mistakes rather than reviewing every card equally. This helps when written accuracy outpaces spoken recall.
