JLPT grammar levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).
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N5
- 〜から〜までNeutralMarks a range with a starting point and an end point: (1) from one time to another; (2) from one place to another. It can also mark a range of items or people, as in 'from A to B'.
- 〜てもいいですかNeutralAsks for permission: "May I ~?" / "Is it all right if ~?" (1) asking whether the speaker may do something; (2) checking whether an action is acceptable in a certain place or situation; (3) asking whether someone else may do something, as in 子供がここで遊んでもいいですか.
- 〜で来ますNeutralExpresses how someone comes somewhere: (1) the particle で marks the means of transportation, 'come by ~'; (2) it can also mark the number of people or manner, as in 一人で来ます 'come alone'.
- 〜ないNeutralThe plain (non-polite) negative form, meaning "not": (1) negates verbs ("do not / will not do"); (2) negates い-adjectives, な-adjectives and nouns ("is not").
- 〜なかったNeutralThe plain past negative form, used to say that something did not happen or was not the case in the past: (1) with verbs, 'did not do'; (2) with adjectives and nouns, 'was not'.
- 〜は〜が好きですNeutralExpresses that someone (marked by は) likes something (marked by が): "X likes Y." It is used to talk about preferences such as food, hobbies, and people.
- 〜は〜ですNeutral〜は〜です makes a polite statement about a topic, identifying or classifying it, or describing a quality it has.
- 〜は〜ですかNeutralA polite question about a topic: (1) "Is A B?", asking whether the topic A is the noun B (a yes/no question); (2) with a question word in the B slot, "What / who / where / whose … is A?". It is the question form of 〜は〜です, made by adding か.
- 〜は〜ではありませんNeutralThe polite negative of 〜は〜です: "X is not Y." The topic marked by は is stated not to be, or not to belong to, the category or description that follows.
- 〜ほど〜ないNeutralExpresses a negative comparison: 'A is not as ~ as B.' In AはBほど〜ない, B is the standard, and A falls short of it in the quality described.
- 〜ますかNeutralThe polite question form of a verb: the ます form plus the question particle か. (1) It asks yes/no or question-word questions about someone's actions or habits; (2) it asks about the listener's intention or plans, and so can also work as a direct invitation or offer.
- 〜や〜などNeutralLists a few representative nouns as examples from a larger group, implying there are other items too: 'A, B, and so on' / 'things like A and B'.
- かNeutralSentence-final particle that turns a statement into a question. (1) It marks yes/no and question-word questions; (2) it is repeated after each option to ask which one the listener chooses.
- がNeutral(1) Particle that marks the grammatical subject, especially with existence verbs like いる/ある and when presenting new or noticed information; (2) conjunctive particle meaning 'but', joining two contrasting clauses.
- か〜かNeutralMarks two or more alternatives, A or B. (1) It asks someone to choose between options; (2) it forms an embedded question meaning 'whether A or B' inside a larger sentence.
- がありますFormalPolite way to say that something inanimate exists or is located somewhere. Senses: (1) there is / there are (objects, plants); (2) someone has something (possession); (3) an event takes place.
- があるNeutralExpresses existence: (1) an inanimate thing or plant exists or is located somewhere; (2) an event takes place or is scheduled; (3) someone has or owns something.
- がいますNeutralExpresses that a living, self-moving being (a person or an animal) exists or is present somewhere. It is the polite form of がいる and is typically paired with a location marked by に.
- からNeutral(1) Marks a starting point in time or space, 'from'; (2) after a clause, gives a reason or cause, 'because, so'.
- くするNeutralAttached to an い-adjective, くする means "to make something (adjective)". It describes someone deliberately changing a thing into the state the adjective expresses.
- くらい / ぐらいNeutral(1) About or approximately, placed after an amount, number, or duration; (2) to the extent of, or as … as, expressing a comparable degree (e.g. 同じくらい "about the same", 驚いたくらい "to the extent that I was surprised").
- けど / けれどもCasual(1) Links clauses in contrast, meaning “but” or “although”; (2) introduces background before a request or question, making it less direct.
- ごろNeutral(1) Around or about a specific point in time, such as a clock time or date; (2) around a period or season, giving a rough time frame. It follows a time expression to mark an approximate time rather than an exact one.
- だ / ですNeutralThe copula, equivalent to 'is/am/are'. It links a topic to a noun or な-adjective. (1) です is the polite form, and it also follows い-adjectives to make them polite; (2) だ is the plain form, used in casual speech and plain-style writing.
- たいNeutralExpresses a desire to do something: "want to (do)." In ordinary statements it expresses the speaker's own wish. In questions it asks about the listener's wish.
- だけNeutral(1) だけ marks a limit, meaning “only” or “just”; (2) in できるだけ, it expresses the greatest extent possible.
- たことがあるNeutralExpresses past experience: (1) having done something at least once at some unspecified point up to now; (2) in the negative form たことがない, never having done it.
- たものだNeutral(1) Fondly recalls something one habitually did or experienced in the past, like English 'used to' or 'would (often)'. (2) With よく, it can express amazement or admiration at something done in the past ('I'm amazed I ~').
- だろうNeutral(1) Expresses the speaker's conjecture: 'probably', 'I suppose'; (2) with rising intonation, seeks the listener's agreement or confirmation: '…, right?'. It is the plain-form counterpart of でしょう.
- つもりNeutralExpresses a speaker's intention or plan: (1) "intend to / plan to" do (or not do) something; (2) in the past form つもりだった, an intention that was not carried out, "had meant to."
- て / でNeutralThe て-form of a verb or adjective (or noun + で) links a cause to its result, meaning "because of ~, (so) ~." It often explains why someone felt an emotion or why a situation came about.
- ているNeutralAttaches to a verb to describe (1) an action in progress; (2) a state resulting from a completed change; (3) a habitual or repeated action.
- てからNeutralAttaches to a verb to show that one action happens first and another follows. (1) "after doing A, (then) B", with emphasis on the order of events; (2) "since A", marking the starting point of a continuing situation.
- てくださいNeutralA polite way to ask or tell someone to do something: (1) a request or instruction, 'please do ~'; (2) a polite invitation or offer for the listener to do something for their own benefit.
- でしょうNeutral(1) Expresses the speaker's conjecture or a probable outcome, 'probably', 'I think'; (2) with rising intonation, seeks the listener's confirmation or agreement, 'right?', 'isn't it?'. It is the polite form of だろう.
- てはいけないNeutral(1) Expresses prohibition: someone 'must not' or 'may not' do an action, usually because of rules or social norms; (2) marks a state or condition as unacceptable or not allowed.
- でもNeutralAttached to a noun, でも offers it as one casual example of what one might do, like 'or something'. It keeps a suggestion, invitation, or plan light and non-committal.
- てもいいNeutralExpresses permission: "it's okay to ~" or "you may ~." (1) With か, it asks for permission; (2) as a statement, it grants permission or says something is acceptable.
- とNeutral(1) Joins nouns in a list ('A and B'), usually naming the items as a complete set; (2) marks a partner or companion ('with'); (3) after a clause, marks a condition whose result follows naturally, habitually, or automatically ('when / whenever / if').
- どうやってNeutral"How" or "in what way": asks about the means or method of doing something. (1) It asks how to get somewhere, meaning by what transport or route; (2) it asks what method or procedure is used to do a task.
- とかCasualLists items as examples from a larger set, like "things like A and B" or "A, B, and so on." It implies the list is not complete and is common in casual speech.
- ときNeutralとき means 'when' or 'at the time of'. It marks the time at which the main clause's action or state takes place: (1) the time of an action; (2) a state or period, such as childhood.
- どんなNeutralA question word meaning "what kind of" or "what sort of" that comes before a noun: (1) asks which type of thing someone means or prefers; (2) asks what something is like, its nature or condition.
- なCasualA blunt prohibition meaning "Don't ~!" It forbids an action directly and forcefully. It is typical of shouted warnings, orders from a superior, or firm, curt commands.
- ないでくださいNeutralA polite request asking someone not to do something: 'please don't ~'. It is used for polite negative requests and gentle prohibitions, such as instructions to visitors, students, or customers.
- なくちゃCasualA casual contraction of なくては, used to say one has to or must do something. It often ends the sentence with いけない/ならない left out, much like saying 'I've got to…' to oneself or to a friend.
- なるNeutralExpresses a change of state, 'to become'. (1) With adjectives, something comes to have a new quality; (2) with nouns, someone or something becomes a new thing, status, or role.
- に / へNeutralParticles that mark the destination or direction of movement. (1) に marks the place someone goes, comes, returns or commutes to; (2) へ marks the direction toward which someone moves. With movement verbs the two are often interchangeable.
- にいくNeutralExpresses the purpose of going somewhere: "go (in order) to do something." The action before に is the reason for the movement shown by 行く.
- にするNeutral(1) To decide on or choose something, as when ordering or picking among options; (2) to deliberately make something or someone take on a certain state or role (AをBにする).
- ねCasualSentence-final particle that invites the listener's agreement or shares a feeling: (1) seeking agreement about something both people know or observe; (2) expressing an impression the speaker expects the listener to share; (3) checking or confirming information, like 'right?'.
- のNeutralの (1) links nouns to show possession or belonging; (2) links nouns to describe an attribute such as material; (3) turns a verb or adjective phrase into a noun-like expression.
- のが下手NeutralExpresses that someone is bad or unskilled at doing a certain action: "to be poor at doing ~". The verb phrase is turned into a noun with の and marked with が.
- のが好きNeutral(1) Expresses that someone likes doing an action: の turns the verb phrase into a noun, and 好き marks it as something the subject enjoys; (2) With adjectives, の means 'one/ones', expressing a liking for things with a certain quality (辛いのが好き).
- のが上手NeutralExpresses that someone is good or skillful at doing an action: "X is good at V-ing." The verb phrase is nominalized with の and followed by が上手.
- のでNeutralIndicates a reason or cause: "because", "since", "so". The clause before ので gives the reason, and the clause after it gives the result, decision, or request, with the link presented as fairly objective and soft.
- はNeutralTopic particle: (1) marks what the sentence is about, with the rest of the sentence commenting on it; (2) sets the marked item in contrast with other items.
- はどうですかNeutral(1) Asks the listener's opinion or impression of something: "How is ~?" / "What do you think of ~?"; (2) Proposes something, such as an item or an activity, and leaves the decision to the listener: "How about ~?"
- ほうがいいNeutralGives advice or says which option is better, like English "you had better" or "it's better to": (1) with the た形, it recommends doing something; (2) with the ない形, it recommends not doing something; (3) after adjectives, nouns + の, or other plain forms, it says one choice is preferable.
- ましょうかNeutralA polite pattern for offering or proposing an action: (1) the speaker offers to do something for the listener ("Shall I…?"); (2) the speaker proposes doing something together ("Shall we…?").
- ませんかNeutral(1) A polite invitation, 'won't you…? / why don't we…?', usually to do something together with the speaker; (2) a polite suggestion of an activity or option, leaving the choice to the listener; (3) grammatically a negative question, so it can also be a literal 'don't you…?'.
- まだNeutralAn adverb that marks a situation as not yet changed: (1) with an affirmative predicate, 'still,' meaning a state or action continues; (2) with a negative predicate, 'not yet,' meaning an expected event has not happened so far.
- までNeutralMarks a limit or end point: "until" (time), "as far as / up to" (place or extent). It shows how far an action, state, or range continues.
- もNeutral(1) Adds someone or something to what has already been mentioned: “also” or “too”; (2) with a question word and a negative predicate, expresses “not any,” as in “nowhere.”
- もうNeutralAn adverb with several senses: (1) 'already', showing that an action is complete or a state or point has been reached; (2) 'no longer / not anymore' with a negative predicate; (3) 'more / another' before a quantity.
- やNeutralA particle that links nouns to give a partial, non-exhaustive list: 'A and B (among other things)'. It implies that other similar items exist besides those named.
- よCasualSentence-final particle that directs information or a viewpoint at the listener: (1) tells them something the speaker thinks they don't know or need to be reminded of; (2) asserts the speaker's opinion with emphasis; (3) adds insistence to invitations and requests. It is roughly like "you know" or "I tell you."
- よりNeutral(1) Marks the standard of comparison, like English "than": the noun before より is what something else is compared against; (2) in formal or written language, marks a starting point in time or place, like "from".
- より〜ほうがNeutralCompares two things or actions: B is more ~ than A. より marks A as the standard of comparison, while ほうが marks B as having more of the stated quality.
- をNeutral(1) Marks the direct object of a transitive verb; (2) marks the route or space moved through with verbs of motion; (3) marks the place one leaves with verbs such as 出る.
- をくださいNeutralUsed to ask someone to give you something: "Please give me N" or "N, please." It is the basic polite way to request an object or to order in shops and restaurants.
- 前にNeutralShows that one action or event happens before another: (1) "before (doing) ~" after a verb or noun; (2) "~ ago" after a length of time.
- 方NeutralAttached to a verb stem, 方 (かた) forms a noun meaning "the way of doing" or "how to do" something, e.g. 読み方 "way of reading."
