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JLPT N5 Adjectives List: All 73 Essential Adjectives (2026)

Complete JLPT N5 adjectives list with all 73 essential Japanese adjectives, readings, and example sentences — including both い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

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The JLPT N5 adjective list contains 73 essential adjectives — a mix of い-adjectives (like 大きい and おいしい) and な-adjectives (like 静か and 元気). Adjectives appear in every section of the N5 exam: vocabulary, grammar, listening, and reading. This guide organizes all N5 adjectives by theme so you can study them in meaningful groups.

This article is part of our JLPT N5 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 73 adjectives with the N5 Adjectives deck in Onigiri Anki.

Size & Physical Properties (10)

These adjectives describe the physical characteristics of objects and spaces — common in N5 reading and listening.

big大きいookii

東京は大きい都市です。 — Tokyo is a big city.

small小さいchiisai

この部屋は小さいです。 — This room is small.

long長いnagai

この道は長いです。 — This road is long.

short短いmijikai

このスカートは短いです。 — This skirt is short.

tall / high / expensive高いtakai

このレストランは高いです。 — This restaurant is expensive.

low低いhikui

天井は低いです。 — The ceiling is low.

wide / spacious広いhiroi

この部屋は広いです。 — This room is spacious.

narrow / cramped狭いsemai

このへやは狭いです。 — This room is narrow.

heavy重いomoi

このかばんは重いです。 — This bag is heavy.

light (weight)軽いkarui

この箱は軽いです。 — This box is light.

Temperature & Sensation (10)

Weather and sensation adjectives are tested heavily in N5 listening passages.

hot (weather)暑いatsui

きょうは暑いです。 — It is hot today.

hot (to the touch)熱いatsui

このお茶は熱いです。 — This tea is hot.

cold (weather)寒いsamui

きょうは寒いです。 — Today is cold.

cold (to the touch)冷たいtsumetai

このみずは冷たいです。 — This water is cold.

warm暖かいatatakai

きょうは暖かいです。 — The weather is warm today.

cool涼しいsuzushii

このへやは涼しいです。 — This room is cool.

bright明るいakarui

このへやは明るいです。 — This room is bright.

dark暗いkurai

このへやは暗いです。 — This room is dark.

painful痛いitai

頭が痛いです。 — My head hurts.

dangerous危ないabunai

あの道は危ないです。 — That road is dangerous.

Quality & Evaluation (10)

These adjectives express opinions and judgments — essential for N5 short conversations.

good / fineいいii

今日は天気がいいです。 — The weather is good today.

bad悪いwarui

今日は悪い日です。 — Today is a bad day.

deliciousおいしいoishii

このお寿司はおいしいです。 — This sushi is delicious.

bad-tastingまずいmazui

このスープはまずいです。 — This soup tastes bad.

interesting / funny面白いomoshiroi

この本は面白いです。 — This book is interesting.

boringつまらないtsumaranai

この本はつまらないです。 — This book is boring.

cuteかわいいkawaii

あなたの犬はかわいいです。 — Your dog is cute.

dirty汚いkitanai

わたしの部屋は汚いです。 — My room is dirty.

new新しいatarashii

新しい靴を買いました。 — I bought new shoes.

old古いfurui

このお寺はとても古いです。 — This temple is very old.

な-Adjectives (10)

な-adjectives take な before nouns (静かな図書館) and です in predicates (図書館は静かです). These 10 are must-knows for N5.

quiet静かshizuka

このとしょかんは静かです。 — This library is quiet.

livelyにぎやかnigiyaka

このえきはにぎやかです。 — This station is lively.

famous有名yuumei

ふじさんは有名です。 — Mount Fuji is famous.

beautiful / cleanきれいkirei

このへやはきれいです。 — This room is beautiful.

healthy / energetic元気genki

わたしのおじいさんは元気です。 — My grandfather is healthy.

kind (to others)親切shinsetsu

わたしの先生は親切です。 — My teacher is kind.

convenient便利benri

このえきは便利です。 — This station is convenient.

good at上手jouzu

妹は料理が上手です。 — My sister is good at cooking.

free (not busy)暇hima

今日は暇です。 — I am free today.

all right / okay大丈夫daijoubu

もう大丈夫です。 — I am okay now.

Key Grammar Notes for N5 Adjectives

  1. い-adjective negatives: Drop い, add くない. 大きい → 大きくない (not big). 高い → 高くない (not expensive/tall).
  2. い-adjective past tense: Drop い, add かった. 楽しい → 楽しかった (was fun).
  3. な-adjective negatives: Add ではない/じゃない after the stem. 静か → 静かではない (not quiet).
  4. Modifying nouns: い-adjectives go directly before nouns (大きい犬). な-adjectives need な (静かな図書館).
  5. Watch for homophones: 暑い/熱い (both atsui), 早い/速い (both hayai), 易しい/優しい (both yasashii) are common N5 trap questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many adjectives are on the JLPT N5?

There are approximately 73 adjectives in the official N5 vocabulary list — about 55 い-adjectives and 18 な-adjectives. Our deck covers all of them.

What is the hardest N5 adjective to remember?

Most learners struggle with the homophone pairs: 暑い vs 熱い (both atsui, but different kanji and contexts) and 早い vs 速い (both hayai). Study them in pairs.

Are colors tested on the N5?

Yes — 赤い (red), 青い (blue), 白い (white), 黒い (black) are N5 adjectives. Note that these are い-adjectives, not nouns like 赤 alone.

Practice All 73 N5 Adjectives

Import the N5 Adjectives deck into Onigiri Anki and drill all 73 adjectives with spaced repetition until they feel automatic.

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