JLPT N5 time and numbers vocabulary covers 66 essential words — from basic numbers (一 through 千) to days of the week, time expressions, and relative time words like 今週 (this week) and 去年 (last year). Numbers and time are tested in every section of the N5 exam, so mastering this list is critical.

This article is part of our JLPT N5 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 66 words with the N5 Time & Numbers deck in Onigiri Anki.

Numbers 1–1,000 (12)

All N5 numbers must be recognized in both Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) and kanji (一, 二, 三).

one (1)一ichi

本を一冊持っています。 — I have one book.

two (2)二ni

猫を二匹飼っています。 — I have two cats.

three (3)三san

りんごが三つあります。 — There are three apples.

four (4)四yon

本が四つあります。 — There are four books.

five (5)五go

ペンが五本あります。 — I have five pens.

six (6)六roku

みかんを六つ買いました。 — I bought six oranges.

seven (7)七nana

七ひきのねこがいます。 — There are seven cats.

eight (8)八hachi

りんごが八つあります。 — There are eight apples.

nine (9)九kyuu

本が九冊あります。 — There are nine books.

ten (10)十juu

ペンが十本あります。 — I have ten pens.

hundred (100)百hyaku

この学校は百人の学生がいます。 — This school has one hundred students.

thousand (1,000)千sen

ここに千円あります。 — There are one thousand yen here.

Time Expressions (12)

Relative time words are essential for N5 listening — "when did this happen?" is a core question type.

today今日kyou

今日は月曜日です。 — Today is Monday.

yesterday昨日kinou

昨日東京に行きました。 — I went to Tokyo yesterday.

tomorrow明日ashita

明日学校に行きます。 — I will go to school tomorrow.

now今ima

今何時ですか？ — What time is it now?

morning朝asa

朝ご飯を食べましたか？ — Did you eat breakfast this morning?

noon / daytime昼hiru

昼に昼ごはんを食べます。 — I eat lunch at noon.

night夜yoru

夜は寒いです。 — It is cold at night.

every day毎日mainichi

毎日、歩きます。 — I walk every day.

this week今週konshuu

今週テストがあります。 — I have a test this week.

last week先週senshuu

先週日本語を勉強しました。 — I studied Japanese last week.

next week来週raishuu

来週買い物に行きます。 — I will go shopping next week.

weekend週末shuumatsu

週末に買い物をします。 — I go shopping on the weekend.

Days of the Week (7)

All seven days appear on the N5. Note the pattern: day name + 曜日 (youbi = day of the week).

Monday月曜日getsuyoubi

月曜日に日本語のクラスがあります。 — I have Japanese class on Monday.

Tuesday火曜日kayoubi

火曜日に友だちに会います。 — I meet my friend on Tuesday.

Wednesday水曜日suiyoubi

水曜日にサッカーをします。 — I play soccer on Wednesday.

Thursday木曜日mokuyoubi

木曜日に働きます。 — I work on Thursday.

Friday金曜日kinyoubi

金曜日にうちへ帰ります。 — I go home on Friday.

Saturday土曜日doyoubi

土曜日にこうえんへ行きます。 — I go to the park on Saturday.

Sunday日曜日nichiyoubi

日曜日に日本語を勉強します。 — I study Japanese on Sunday.

Telling Time & Dates (8)

Clock time (何時, 何分) and date vocabulary appear regularly in N5 listening comprehension.

o'clock時ji

三時です。 — It is three o'clock.

minute分fun

五分勉強します。 — I study for five minutes.

half (past)半han

七時半です。 — It is half past seven.

a.m.午前gozen

午前七時に起きます。 — I get up at 7 a.m.

p.m.午後gogo

午後に働きます。 — I work in the afternoon.

birthday誕生日tanjoubi

今日は私の誕生日です。 — Today is my birthday.

this year今年kotoshi

今年、旅行したいです。 — I want to travel this year.

last year去年kyonen

去年、京都へ行きました。 — I visited Kyoto last year.

Key Number Patterns for N5

Counters change pronunciation. 一 alone = いち, but 一分 = いっぷん and 一冊 = いっさつ. Learn the counter with the number, not the number alone.
Four and seven have two readings. 四 = し/よん, 七 = しち/なな. Both readings appear on the N5. In isolation, よん and なな are more common in modern speech.
Time uses 時 (ji) and 分 (fun/pun). 三時 (san ji) = 3 o'clock; 三分 (sanpun) = 3 minutes. Note the sound changes with 分.
Days of the week are compulsory. All seven days appear on the N5 — memorize them as a set.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say the time in Japanese for N5?

Use [number]時[number]分: 三時十五分 = 3:15 (san ji juugo fun). For half past, use 半 (han): 七時半 = 7:30.

Do I need to know Japanese counters for N5?

Yes — at least the basic ones. 〜本 (long thin objects), 〜冊 (books), 〜枚 (flat objects), 〜匹 (small animals), 〜人 (people) all appear in N5 questions.

Practice All 66 N5 Time & Numbers Words

Import the N5 Time & Numbers deck into Onigiri Anki and drill all 66 words until telling time in Japanese feels natural.

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JLPT N5 Time & Numbers Vocabulary: 66 Essential Words (2026)