1000 Most Common Japanese Words Anki Deck (Core)

If you’re using Anki to learn Japanese, you already know the secret: spaced repetition is the fastest, most scientifically proven method to build a lasting vocabulary. But the deck you study matters just as much as how you study it.

This guide gives you the complete 1000 most common Japanese words for Anki — every word paired with Japanese script, romaji pronunciation, English meaning, and example sentences for the most important entries. This list is specifically designed to work as an Anki deck, organized so you can import it category by category, build your cards progressively, and maximize retention.

Whether you’re building your own Anki cards from scratch, looking for the best words to add to a pre-made deck, or preparing for JLPT N5 and N4, this is the most complete, beginner-friendly Anki-optimized Japanese word list available.

Before you start, make sure your Anki cards include hiragana — not just romaji. Use our free hiragana chart and katakana chart to get your reading foundation solid first.

Let’s build your deck.

Why Use Anki for Japanese Vocabulary?

Anki uses a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) — it shows you a card right before you’re about to forget it. This makes it far more efficient than reading word lists passively.

Research cited in the Wikipedia article on spaced repetition shows this method can reduce study time by up to 50% compared to traditional memorization. For Japanese learners specifically, Anki is particularly powerful because:

Japanese has three writing systems — Anki cards can train all three simultaneously
High-frequency words appear in listening, reading, and conversation — Anki builds all-round recognition
The JLPT exam tests vocabulary in isolation and in context — Anki trains both

The words in this list are selected for maximum Anki efficiency: high-frequency, broadly useful, clearly distinct from each other, and ordered from most to least essential within each category. They align closely with JLPT N5 vocabulary at the core, expanding to cover N4 territory throughout.

How to use this list with Anki:

Create one sub-deck per category (Deck 1–10)
Add 20–30 new cards per day
Front of card: Japanese (kanji/kana) + audio if possible
Back of card: Romaji + English meaning + example sentence
Review daily — never skip a day

Top 50 Highest-Priority Anki Cards

Add these 50 words to your Anki deck first. They are the highest-frequency words in everyday Japanese and form the backbone of all further learning.

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example Sentence
1	する	suru	To do	何をしますか？(Nani wo shimasu ka?) — What will you do?
2	いる	iru	To be (animate)	猫がいる。(Neko ga iru.) — There’s a cat.
3	ある	aru	To exist / Have	本がある。(Hon ga aru.) — There’s a book.
4	いく	iku	To go	学校に行く。(Gakkou ni iku.) — I go to school.
5	くる	kuru	To come	明日来ますか？(Ashita kimasu ka?) — Are you coming tomorrow?
6	みる	miru	To see / Watch	映画を見る。(Eiga wo miru.) — I watch a movie.
7	いう	iu	To say	何と言いましたか？(Nanto iimashita ka?) — What did you say?
8	なる	naru	To become	医者になりたい。(Isha ni naritai.) — I want to become a doctor.
9	おもう	omou	To think	そう思います。(Sou omoimasu.) — I think so.
10	みせる	miseru	To show	見せてください。(Misete kudasai.) — Please show me.
11	たべる	taberu	To eat	ご飯を食べる。(Gohan wo taberu.) — I eat a meal.
12	のむ	nomu	To drink	水を飲む。(Mizu wo nomu.) — I drink water.
13	はなす	hanasu	To speak	日本語を話す。(Nihongo wo hanasu.) — I speak Japanese.
14	きく	kiku	To listen / Ask	音楽を聞く。(Ongaku wo kiku.) — I listen to music.
15	よむ	yomu	To read	本を読む。(Hon wo yomu.) — I read a book.
16	かく	kaku	To write	手紙を書く。(Tegami wo kaku.) — I write a letter.
17	かう	kau	To buy	本を買う。(Hon wo kau.) — I buy a book.
18	もつ	motsu	To hold / Have	鍵を持っている。(Kagi wo motte iru.) — I have the key.
19	まつ	matsu	To wait	少し待ってください。(Sukoshi matte kudasai.) — Please wait a moment.
20	わかる	wakaru	To understand	わかりました。(Wakarimashita.) — I understand.
21	おおきい	ookii	Big / Large	大きい犬がいる。(Ookii inu ga iru.) — There’s a big dog.
22	ちいさい	chiisai	Small	小さい猫。(Chiisai neko.) — A small cat.
23	あたらしい	atarashii	New	新しいスマホを買った。(Atarashii sumaho wo katta.) — I bought a new phone.
24	ふるい	furui	Old	古い車。(Furui kuruma.) — An old car.
25	いい / よい	ii / yoi	Good	いい天気。(Ii tenki.) — Nice weather.
26	わるい	warui	Bad	悪い夢を見た。(Warui yume wo mita.) — I had a bad dream.
27	たかい	takai	Expensive / Tall	これは高い。(Kore wa takai.) — This is expensive.
28	やすい	yasui	Cheap	これは安い。(Kore wa yasui.) — This is cheap.
29	はやい	hayai	Fast / Early	電車は速い。(Densha wa hayai.) — The train is fast.
30	おそい	osoi	Slow / Late	バスが遅い。(Basu ga osoi.) — The bus is slow.
31	わたし	watashi	I / Me	私は学生です。(Watashi wa gakusei desu.) — I am a student.
32	あなた	anata	You	あなたの名前は？(Anata no namae wa?) — What is your name?
33	これ	kore	This	これはいくら？(Kore wa ikura?) — How much is this?
34	それ	sore	That (near you)	それは何ですか？(Sore wa nan desu ka?) — What is that?
35	あれ	are	That (far)	あれは富士山です。(Are wa Fujisan desu.) — That is Mt. Fuji.
36	です	desu	Is / Am / Are	これはペンです。(Kore wa pen desu.) — This is a pen.
37	ます	masu	Polite verb ending	食べます。(Tabemasu.) — I eat.
38	ない / ません	nai / masen	Negative	わかりません。(Wakarimasen.) — I don’t understand.
39	て form	te-form	Connective verb form	食べて、飲んで。(Tabete, nonde.) — Eating and drinking.
40	た form	ta-form	Past tense	食べた。(Tabeta.) — I ate.
41	に	ni	To / At / In (particle)	学校に行く。(Gakkou ni iku.) — I go to school.
42	は	wa	Topic marker (particle)	私は田中です。(Watashi wa Tanaka desu.) — I am Tanaka.
43	が	ga	Subject marker (particle)	猫がいる。(Neko ga iru.) — There is a cat.
44	を	wo	Object marker (particle)	本を読む。(Hon wo yomu.) — I read a book.
45	の	no	Possessive / Nominalizer	私の本。(Watashi no hon.) — My book.
46	で	de	At / By / With (particle)	バスで行く。(Basu de iku.) — I go by bus.
47	と	to	And / With (particle)	友達と行く。(Tomodachi to iku.) — I go with a friend.
48	も	mo	Also / Too (particle)	私も行く。(Watashi mo iku.) — I’m going too.
49	か	ka	Question marker	これは何ですか？(Kore wa nan desu ka?) — What is this?
50	ね	ne	Isn’t it? / Right?	いい天気ですね。(Ii tenki desu ne.) — Nice weather, isn’t it?

Full List: 1000 Japanese Words for Your Anki Deck

Deck 1 (Words 1–100): Core Verbs

These are the verbs you will use every single day. Learn all of them before building other decks.

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	する	suru	To do
2	いる	iru	To be (animate)
3	ある	aru	To exist / Have
4	いく	iku	To go
5	くる	kuru	To come
6	みる	miru	To see / Watch
7	いう	iu	To say
8	なる	naru	To become
9	おもう	omou	To think
10	たべる	taberu	To eat
11	のむ	nomu	To drink
12	はなす	hanasu	To speak / Talk
13	きく	kiku	To listen / Ask
14	よむ	yomu	To read
15	かく	kaku	To write
16	かう	kau	To buy
17	もつ	motsu	To hold / Have
18	まつ	matsu	To wait
19	わかる	wakaru	To understand
20	しる	shiru	To know
21	おぼえる	oboeru	To remember / Memorize
22	わすれる	wasureru	To forget
23	おしえる	oshieru	To teach / Tell
24	まなぶ	manabu	To learn
25	べんきょうする	benkyou suru	To study
26	はたらく	hataraku	To work
27	やすむ	yasumu	To rest
28	あそぶ	asobu	To play / Hang out
29	たのしむ	tanoshimu	To enjoy
30	わらう	warau	To laugh
31	なく	naku	To cry
32	おこる	okoru	To get angry
33	よろこぶ	yorokobu	To rejoice
34	おどろく	odoroku	To be surprised
35	こまる	komaru	To be troubled
36	かんがえる	kangaeru	To think / Consider
37	きめる	kimeru	To decide
38	えらぶ	erabu	To choose
39	つかう	tsukau	To use
40	つくる	tsukuru	To make / Create
41	はじめる	hajimeru	To begin / Start
42	おわる	owaru	To end / Finish
43	つづける	tsuzukeru	To continue
44	やめる	yameru	To stop / Quit
45	できる	dekiru	Can / Be able to
46	かわる	kawaru	To change
47	なおす	naosu	To fix / Repair
48	なおる	naoru	To get better
49	こわれる	kowareru	To break
50	つける	tsukeru	To turn on / Attach
51	けす	kesu	To turn off / Erase
52	あける	akeru	To open
53	しめる	shimeru	To close
54	いれる	ireru	To put in
55	だす	dasu	To take out
56	おく	oku	To put / Place
57	はこぶ	hakobu	To carry
58	なげる	nageru	To throw
59	ひろう	hirou	To pick up
60	すてる	suteru	To throw away
61	かえる	kaeru	To return / Go home
62	でる	deru	To exit / Leave
63	はいる	hairu	To enter
64	のぼる	noboru	To climb / Go up
65	くだる	kudaru	To descend
66	あるく	aruku	To walk
67	はしる	hashiru	To run
68	とぶ	tobu	To fly / Jump
69	およぐ	oyogu	To swim
70	のる	noru	To ride
71	おりる	oriru	To get off
72	とまる	tomaru	To stop / Stay
73	いそぐ	isogu	To hurry
74	まがる	magaru	To turn
75	わたる	wataru	To cross
76	つく	tsuku	To arrive
77	もらう	morau	To receive
78	あげる	ageru	To give
79	かりる	kariru	To borrow
80	かす	kasu	To lend
81	おくる	okuru	To send
82	うける	ukeru	To receive / Take (exam)
83	たのむ	tanomu	To request / Ask
84	こたえる	kotaeru	To answer
85	しつもんする	shitsumon suru	To ask a question
86	せつめいする	setsumei suru	To explain
87	しょうかいする	shoukai suru	To introduce
88	よぶ	yobu	To call / Invite
89	よやくする	yoyaku suru	To make a reservation
90	きゅうする	kyuu suru	To take a rest (informal)
91	ためす	tamesu	To try / Test
92	なれる	nareru	To get used to
93	みつける	mitsukeru	To find
94	さがす	sagasu	To search for
95	しらべる	shiraberu	To look up / Research
96	はらう	harau	To pay
97	うる	uru	To sell
98	かりる	kariru	To rent / Borrow
99	かえす	kaesu	To return (something)
100	たすける	tasukeru	To help / Save

Deck 2 (Words 101–200): Essential Adjectives

Adjectives give your Anki reviews variety and make sentences come alive.

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
101	おおきい	ookii	Big / Large
102	ちいさい	chiisai	Small
103	あたらしい	atarashii	New
104	ふるい	furui	Old
105	いい / よい	ii / yoi	Good
106	わるい	warui	Bad
107	たかい	takai	Expensive / Tall
108	やすい	yasui	Cheap
109	はやい	hayai	Fast / Early
110	おそい	osoi	Slow / Late
111	むずかしい	muzukashii	Difficult
112	やさしい	yasashii	Easy / Kind
113	たのしい	tanoshii	Fun
114	かなしい	kanashii	Sad
115	うれしい	ureshii	Happy / Glad
116	こわい	kowai	Scary
117	はずかしい	hazukashii	Embarrassed
118	さびしい	sabishii	Lonely
119	なつかしい	natsukashii	Nostalgic
120	ねむい	nemui	Sleepy
121	つかれた	tsukareta	Tired
122	いたい	itai	Painful
123	つよい	tsuyoi	Strong
124	よわい	yowai	Weak
125	おもい	omoi	Heavy
126	かるい	karui	Light (weight)
127	ながい	nagai	Long
128	みじかい	mijikai	Short
129	ひろい	hiroi	Wide / Spacious
130	せまい	semai	Narrow
131	あつい	atsui	Hot
132	さむい	samui	Cold (weather)
133	つめたい	tsumetai	Cold (to touch/taste)
134	あたたかい	atatakai	Warm
135	すずしい	suzushii	Cool (pleasant)
136	あかるい	akarui	Bright / Cheerful
137	くらい	kurai	Dark / Gloomy
138	うつくしい	utsukushii	Beautiful
139	かわいい	kawaii	Cute
140	かっこいい	kakkoii	Cool / Stylish
141	きれい	kirei	Pretty / Clean
142	きたない	kitanai	Dirty
143	にぎやか	nigiyaka	Lively
144	しずか	shizuka	Quiet
145	べんり	benri	Convenient
146	ふべん	fuben	Inconvenient
147	おもしろい	omoshiroi	Interesting / Funny
148	つまらない	tsumaranai	Boring
149	ふしぎ	fushigi	Strange / Mysterious
150	たいせつ	taisetsu	Important / Precious
151	じゅうよう	juuyou	Important
152	ひつよう	hitsuyou	Necessary
153	とくべつ	tokubetsu	Special
154	ふつう	futsuu	Ordinary / Normal
155	おなじ	onaji	Same
156	ちがう	chigau	Different
157	ほんとう	hontou	True / Real
158	うそ	uso	False / Lie
159	むり	muri	Impossible
160	かのう	kanou	Possible
161	あまい	amai	Sweet
162	からい	karai	Spicy / Hot (taste)
163	すっぱい	suppai	Sour
164	にがい	nigai	Bitter
165	しょっぱい	shoppai	Salty
166	おいしい	oishii	Delicious
167	まずい	mazui	Bad-tasting
168	あかい	akai	Red
169	あおい	aoi	Blue / Green
170	しろい	shiroi	White
171	くろい	kuroi	Black
172	きいろい	kiiroi	Yellow
173	まるい	marui	Round
174	しかくい	shikakui	Square
175	するどい	surudoi	Sharp
176	にぶい	nibui	Dull / Blunt
177	かたい	katai	Hard / Firm
178	やわらかい	yawarakai	Soft
179	あつい	atsui	Thick
180	うすい	usui	Thin
181	ゆうめい	yuumei	Famous
182	しあわせ	shiawase	Happy (na-adj)
183	ふしあわせ	fushiawase	Unhappy
184	げんき	genki	Energetic / Well
185	まじめ	majime	Serious / Earnest
186	のんき	nonki	Easygoing
187	しんせつ	shinsetsu	Kind
188	ていねい	teinei	Polite
189	しつれい	shitsurei	Rude / Impolite
190	じゆう	jiyuu	Free
191	ひま	hima	Free (time) / Bored
192	いそがしい	isogashii	Busy
193	かんたん	kantan	Simple / Easy
194	ふくざつ	fukuzatsu	Complicated
195	あんぜん	anzen	Safe
196	きけん	kiken	Dangerous
197	けんこう	kenkou	Healthy
198	びょうき	byouki	Sick / Ill (na-adj)
199	じょうぶ	joubu	Sturdy / Strong
200	ぜいたく	zeitaku	Luxurious

Deck 3 (Words 201–300): Nouns — People & Society

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
201	ひと	hito	Person
202	おとこ	otoko	Man / Male
203	おんな	onna	Woman / Female
204	こども	kodomo	Child
205	おとな	otona	Adult
206	わかもの	wakamono	Young person
207	おじいさん	ojiisan	Grandfather / Elderly man
208	おばあさん	obaasan	Grandmother / Elderly woman
209	かぞく	kazoku	Family
210	おとうさん	otousan	Father
211	おかあさん	okaasan	Mother
212	おにいさん	oniisan	Older brother
213	おねえさん	oneesan	Older sister
214	おとうと	otouto	Younger brother
215	いもうと	imouto	Younger sister
216	ともだち	tomodachi	Friend
217	こいびと	koibito	Partner / Lover
218	おっと	otto	Husband
219	つま	tsuma	Wife
220	せんせい	sensei	Teacher
221	がくせい	gakusei	Student
222	いしゃ	isha	Doctor
223	かんごし	kangoshi	Nurse
224	けいさつ	keisatsu	Police
225	しょうぼうし	shoubоushi	Firefighter
226	かいしゃいん	kaishain	Company employee
227	こうむいん	koumuin	Civil servant
228	エンジニア	enjinia	Engineer
229	デザイナー	dezainaa	Designer
230	さっか	sakka	Author / Writer
231	かしゅ	kashu	Singer
232	はいゆう	haiyuu	Actor
233	スポーツせんしゅ	supootsu senshu	Athlete
234	りょうし	ryoushi	Fisherman
235	のうか	nouka	Farmer
236	うんてんしゅ	untenshu	Driver
237	てんいん	ten’in	Store clerk
238	きゃく	kyaku	Customer / Guest
239	じょうし	joushi	Boss / Superior
240	どうりょう	douryou	Colleague
241	せんぱい	senpai	Senior
242	こうはい	kouhai	Junior
243	なかま	nakama	Companion
244	ライバル	raibaru	Rival
245	しゅじんこう	shujinkou	Main character
246	しゃかい	shakai	Society
247	くに	kuni	Country
248	せかい	sekai	World
249	まち	machi	Town / City
250	むら	mura	Village
251	しみん	shimin	Citizen
252	こくみん	kokumin	People / Nationals
253	がいこくじん	gaikokujin	Foreigner
254	にほんじん	nihonjin	Japanese person
255	せいじ	seiji	Politics
256	せいふ	seifu	Government
257	ほうりつ	houritsu	Law
258	けいざい	keizai	Economy
259	ぶんか	bunka	Culture
260	れきし	rekishi	History
261	でんとう	dentou	Tradition
262	しゅうきょう	shuukyou	Religion
263	げいじゅつ	geijutsu	Art
264	かがく	kagaku	Science
265	ぎじゅつ	gijutsu	Technology / Skill
266	きょういく	kyouiku	Education
267	いがく	igaku	Medicine
268	けんきゅう	kenkyuu	Research
269	はつめい	hatsumei	Invention
270	ぶんめい	bunmei	Civilization
271	せんそう	sensou	War
272	へいわ	heiwa	Peace
273	じけん	jiken	Incident / Case
274	じこ	jiko	Accident
275	もんだい	mondai	Problem
276	かいけつ	kaiketsu	Solution
277	けいかく	keikaku	Plan
278	もくひょう	mokuhyou	Goal
279	けっか	kekka	Result
280	せいこう	seikou	Success
281	しっぱい	shippai	Failure
282	チャンス	chansu	Chance
283	きかい	kikai	Opportunity / Machine
284	じんせい	jinsei	Life (human)
285	うんめい	unmei	Fate / Destiny
286	ゆめ	yume	Dream
287	きぼう	kibou	Hope
288	あい	ai	Love
289	ゆうじょう	yuujou	Friendship
290	しんらい	shinrai	Trust
291	きずな	kizuna	Bond
292	そんけい	sonkei	Respect
293	ひみつ	himitsu	Secret
294	うわさ	uwasa	Rumor
295	じょうだん	joudan	Joke
296	けんか	kenka	Fight / Argument
297	わかれ	wakare	Separation / Farewell
298	さいかい	saikai	Reunion
299	きおく	kioku	Memory
300	しょうらい	shourai	Future (personal)

Deck 4 (Words 301–400): Nouns — Places & Things

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
301	いえ / うち	ie / uchi	House / Home
302	へや	heya	Room
303	だいどころ	daidokoro	Kitchen
304	リビング	ribingu	Living room
305	しんしつ	shinshitsu	Bedroom
306	トイレ	toire	Toilet
307	ふろ	furo	Bath
308	げんかん	genkan	Entryway
309	にわ	niwa	Garden
310	アパート	apaato	Apartment
311	マンション	manshon	Condo
312	がっこう	gakkou	School
313	だいがく	daigaku	University
314	としょかん	toshokan	Library
315	きょうしつ	kyoushitsu	Classroom
316	びょういん	byouin	Hospital
317	やっきょく	yakkyoku	Pharmacy
318	かいしゃ	kaisha	Company
319	じむしょ	jimusho	Office
320	えき	eki	Train station
321	くうこう	kuukou	Airport
322	みなと	minato	Port
323	ホテル	hoteru	Hotel
324	りょかん	ryokan	Japanese inn
325	レストラン	resutoran	Restaurant
326	カフェ	kafe	Café
327	スーパー	suupaa	Supermarket
328	コンビニ	konbini	Convenience store
329	デパート	depaato	Department store
330	ゆうびんきょく	yuubinkyoku	Post office
331	ぎんこう	ginkou	Bank
332	こうえん	kouen	Park
333	じんじゃ	jinja	Shinto shrine
334	てら	tera	Buddhist temple
335	はくぶつかん	hakubutsukan	Museum
336	びじゅつかん	bijutsukan	Art museum
337	どうぶつえん	doubutsuen	Zoo
338	えいがかん	eigakan	Movie theater
339	みち	michi	Road / Street
340	こうさてん	kousaten	Intersection
341	はし	hashi	Bridge
342	やま	yama	Mountain
343	うみ	umi	Sea / Ocean
344	かわ	kawa	River
345	いけ	ike	Pond
346	もり	mori	Forest
347	しま	shima	Island
348	そら	sora	Sky
349	ほん	hon	Book
350	しんぶん	shinbun	Newspaper
351	ざっし	zasshi	Magazine
352	てがみ	tegami	Letter
353	えんぴつ	enpitsu	Pencil
354	ボールペン	boorupen	Ballpoint pen
355	ノート	nooto	Notebook
356	かみ	kami	Paper
357	はさみ	hasami	Scissors
358	つくえ	tsukue	Desk
359	いす	isu	Chair
360	ベッド	beddo	Bed
361	まど	mado	Window
362	ドア	doa	Door
363	かぎ	kagi	Key
364	かがみ	kagami	Mirror
365	でんき	denki	Light / Electricity
366	テレビ	terebi	Television
367	でんわ	denwa	Telephone
368	スマートフォン	sumaatofon	Smartphone
369	パソコン	pasokon	Computer
370	カメラ	kamera	Camera
371	くるま	kuruma	Car
372	じてんしゃ	jitensha	Bicycle
373	でんしゃ	densha	Train
374	バス	basu	Bus
375	タクシー	takushii	Taxi
376	ひこうき	hikouki	Airplane
377	ふね	fune	Boat / Ship
378	きっぷ	kippu	Ticket
379	ちず	chizu	Map
380	かばん	kaban	Bag
381	さいふ	saifu	Wallet
382	とけい	tokei	Watch / Clock
383	くつ	kutsu	Shoes
384	ふく	fuku	Clothes
385	ぼうし	boushi	Hat
386	めがね	megane	Glasses
387	かさ	kasa	Umbrella
388	はな	hana	Flower
389	き	ki	Tree
390	くさ	kusa	Grass
391	いぬ	inu	Dog
392	ねこ	neko	Cat
393	とり	tori	Bird
394	さかな	sakana	Fish
395	むし	mushi	Insect
396	くるみ	kurumi	Walnut
397	まち	machi	Town
398	くうき	kuuki	Air
399	ひ	hi	Fire / Day / Sun
400	みず	mizu	Water

Deck 5 (Words 401–500): Time, Numbers & Quantities

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
401	いち	ichi	One (1)
402	に	ni	Two (2)
403	さん	san	Three (3)
404	し / よん	shi / yon	Four (4)
405	ご	go	Five (5)
406	ろく	roku	Six (6)
407	しち / なな	shichi / nana	Seven (7)
408	はち	hachi	Eight (8)
409	きゅう / く	kyuu / ku	Nine (9)
410	じゅう	juu	Ten (10)
411	じゅういち	juuichi	Eleven (11)
412	じゅうに	juuni	Twelve (12)
413	にじゅう	nijuu	Twenty (20)
414	さんじゅう	sanjuu	Thirty (30)
415	よんじゅう	yonjuu	Forty (40)
416	ごじゅう	gojuu	Fifty (50)
417	ひゃく	hyaku	One hundred (100)
418	にひゃく	nihyaku	Two hundred (200)
419	さんびゃく	sanbyaku	Three hundred (300)
420	せん	sen	One thousand (1,000)
421	まん	man	Ten thousand (10,000)
422	おく	oku	One hundred million
423	ひとつ	hitotsu	One (general counter)
424	ふたつ	futatsu	Two (general counter)
425	みっつ	mittsu	Three (general counter)
426	よっつ	yottsu	Four (general counter)
427	いつつ	itsutsu	Five (general counter)
428	むっつ	muttsu	Six (general counter)
429	ななつ	nanatsu	Seven (general counter)
430	やっつ	yattsu	Eight (general counter)
431	ここのつ	kokonotsu	Nine (general counter)
432	とお	too	Ten (general counter)
433	いくつ	ikutsu	How many
434	なんこ	nanko	How many (small objects)
435	なんまい	nanmai	How many (flat objects)
436	なんほん	nanhon	How many (long objects)
437	なんにん	nannin	How many people
438	いま	ima	Now
439	きょう	kyou	Today
440	あした	ashita	Tomorrow
441	あさって	asatte	Day after tomorrow
442	きのう	kinou	Yesterday
443	おととい	ototoi	Day before yesterday
444	こんしゅう	konshuu	This week
445	らいしゅう	raishuu	Next week
446	せんしゅう	senshuu	Last week
447	こんげつ	kongetsu	This month
448	らいげつ	raigetsu	Next month
449	せんげつ	sengetsu	Last month
450	ことし	kotoshi	This year
451	らいねん	rainen	Next year
452	きょねん	kyonen	Last year
453	あさ	asa	Morning
454	ひる	hiru	Noon / Daytime
455	よる	yoru	Night
456	ゆうがた	yuugata	Early evening
457	まよなか	mayonaka	Midnight
458	じかん	jikan	Hour / Time
459	ふん	fun	Minute
460	びょう	byou	Second
461	にちようび	nichiyoubi	Sunday
462	げつようび	getsuyoubi	Monday
463	かようび	kayoubi	Tuesday
464	すいようび	suiyoubi	Wednesday
465	もくようび	mokuyoubi	Thursday
466	きんようび	kin’youbi	Friday
467	どようび	doyoubi	Saturday
468	いちがつ	ichigatsu	January
469	にがつ	nigatsu	February
470	さんがつ	sangatsu	March
471	しがつ	shigatsu	April
472	ごがつ	gogatsu	May
473	ろくがつ	rokugatsu	June
474	しちがつ	shichigatsu	July
475	はちがつ	hachigatsu	August
476	くがつ	kugatsu	September
477	じゅうがつ	juugatsu	October
478	じゅういちがつ	juuichigatsu	November
479	じゅうにがつ	juunigatsu	December
480	はる	haru	Spring
481	なつ	natsu	Summer
482	あき	aki	Autumn
483	ふゆ	fuyu	Winter
484	たくさん	takusan	Many / A lot
485	すこし	sukoshi	A little
486	ちょっと	chotto	A bit
487	ぜんぶ	zenbu	All / Everything
488	なにも	nanimo	Nothing
489	いくら	ikura	How much (money)
490	どのくらい	dono kurai	How much / How long
491	まい (counter)	mai	Flat objects counter
492	ほん (counter)	hon	Long objects counter
493	はい (counter)	hai	Cups/glasses counter
494	だい (counter)	dai	Machines counter
495	ひき (counter)	hiki	Small animals counter
496	とう (counter)	tou	Large animals counter
497	さつ (counter)	satsu	Books counter
498	まい (counter)	mai	Sheets counter
499	かい (counter)	kai	Floor / Times counter
500	ど (counter)	do	Degrees / Times counter

Deck 6 (Words 501–600): Food, Body & Health

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
501	ごはん	gohan	Rice / Meal
502	パン	pan	Bread
503	にく	niku	Meat
504	さかな	sakana	Fish
505	たまご	tamago	Egg
506	とうふ	toufu	Tofu
507	やさい	yasai	Vegetables
508	くだもの	kudamono	Fruit
509	すし	sushi	Sushi
510	ラーメン	raamen	Ramen
511	うどん	udon	Udon
512	そば	soba	Soba
513	カレー	karee	Curry
514	てんぷら	tenpura	Tempura
515	みそしる	misoshiru	Miso soup
516	おにぎり	onigiri	Rice ball
517	やきとり	yakitori	Grilled chicken
518	りんご	ringo	Apple
519	バナナ	banana	Banana
520	いちご	ichigo	Strawberry
521	にんじん	ninjin	Carrot
522	じゃがいも	jagaimo	Potato
523	たまねぎ	tamanegi	Onion
524	トマト	tomato	Tomato
525	しょうゆ	shouyu	Soy sauce
526	みそ	miso	Miso
527	さとう	satou	Sugar
528	しお	shio	Salt
529	こしょう	koshou	Pepper
530	みず	mizu	Water
531	おちゃ	ocha	Green tea
532	コーヒー	koohii	Coffee
533	ジュース	juusu	Juice
534	ぎゅうにゅう	gyuunyuu	Milk
535	ビール	biiru	Beer
536	さけ	sake	Rice wine / Alcohol
537	あたま	atama	Head
538	かお	kao	Face
539	め	me	Eye(s)
540	みみ	mimi	Ear(s)
541	はな	hana	Nose
542	くち	kuchi	Mouth
543	は	ha	Tooth / Teeth
544	くび	kubi	Neck
545	かた	kata	Shoulder
546	むね	mune	Chest
547	うで	ude	Arm
548	て	te	Hand
549	ゆび	yubi	Finger
550	こし	koshi	Waist
551	あし	ashi	Leg / Foot
552	ひざ	hiza	Knee
553	せなか	senaka	Back (body)
554	おなか	onaka	Stomach / Belly
555	からだ	karada	Body
556	こころ	kokoro	Heart / Mind
557	いのち	inochi	Life
558	ちから	chikara	Strength / Power
559	けんこう	kenkou	Health
560	びょうき	byouki	Illness
561	ねつ	netsu	Fever
562	かぜ	kaze	Cold (illness)
563	いたみ	itami	Pain
564	ケガ	kega	Injury
565	くすり	kusuri	Medicine
566	びょういん	byouin	Hospital
567	ちりょう	chiryou	Medical treatment
568	しゅじゅつ	shujutsu	Surgery / Operation
569	アレルギー	arerugii	Allergy
570	けつあつ	ketsuatsu	Blood pressure
571	たいじゅう	taijuu	Body weight
572	しんちょう	shinchou	Height (body)
573	ねる	neru	To sleep
574	おきる	okiru	To wake up
575	やすむ	yasumu	To rest
576	うんどう	undou	Exercise
577	ダイエット	daietto	Diet
578	ストレス	sutoresu	Stress
579	リラックス	rirakkusu	Relaxation
580	えいよう	eiyou	Nutrition
581	ねむり	nemuri	Sleep
582	ゆめ	yume	Dream (during sleep)
583	しょくよく	shokuyoku	Appetite
584	げんきをだす	genki wo dasu	To cheer up
585	きぶん	kibun	Mood / Feeling
586	しんぱい	shinpai	Worry
587	あんしん	anshin	Relief
588	きんちょう	kinchou	Tension / Nerves
589	いやし	iyashi	Healing / Comfort
590	げんき	genki	Healthy / Energetic
591	たいりょく	tairyoku	Physical strength
592	きりょく	kiryoku	Willpower / Energy
593	せいかつしゅうかん	seikatsu shuukan	Lifestyle habits
594	すいみん	suimin	Sleep
595	いしょく	ishoku	Food and clothing
596	えいせい	eisei	Hygiene
597	にっか	nikka	Daily schedule
598	たいそう	taisou	Gymnastics / Exercise
599	ヨガ	yoga	Yoga
600	マッサージ	massaaji	Massage

Deck 7 (Words 601–700): Nature, Weather & Environment

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
601	てんき	tenki	Weather
602	はれ	hare	Sunny / Clear
603	くもり	kumori	Cloudy
604	あめ	ame	Rain
605	ゆき	yuki	Snow
606	かぜ	kaze	Wind
607	くも	kumo	Cloud
608	たいよう	taiyou	Sun
609	つき	tsuki	Moon
610	ほし	hoshi	Star
611	にじ	niji	Rainbow
612	かみなり	kaminari	Thunder / Lightning
613	たいふう	taifuu	Typhoon
614	じしん	jishin	Earthquake
615	こうずい	kouzui	Flood
616	かざん	kazan	Volcano
617	つなみ	tsunami	Tsunami
618	きおん	kion	Temperature
619	しつど	shitsudo	Humidity
620	きこう	kikou	Climate
621	そら	sora	Sky
622	くうき	kuuki	Air
623	たいき	taiki	Atmosphere
624	しぜん	shizen	Nature
625	かんきょう	kankyou	Environment
626	おせん	osen	Pollution
627	おんだんか	ondanka	Global warming
628	きこうへんどう	kikou hendou	Climate change
629	リサイクル	risaikuru	Recycling
630	エネルギー	enerugii	Energy
631	たいようこうはつでん	taiyoukou hatsuden	Solar power
632	やま	yama	Mountain
633	うみ	umi	Sea / Ocean
634	かわ	kawa	River
635	いけ	ike	Pond
636	もり	mori	Forest
637	さばく	sabaku	Desert
638	しま	shima	Island
639	たき	taki	Waterfall
640	はら	hara	Field / Plain
641	たんぼ	tanbo	Rice paddy
642	はたけ	hatake	Field / Farm
643	みどり	midori	Green / Greenery
644	さくら	sakura	Cherry blossom
645	もみじ	momiji	Autumn leaves
646	はな	hana	Flower
647	き	ki	Tree
648	くさ	kusa	Grass
649	は	ha	Leaf
650	ねっこ	nekko	Root
651	たね	tane	Seed
652	みのる	minoru	To bear fruit
653	いぬ	inu	Dog
654	ねこ	neko	Cat
655	とり	tori	Bird
656	さかな	sakana	Fish
657	うし	ushi	Cow
658	うま	uma	Horse
659	ぶた	buta	Pig
660	ひつじ	hitsuji	Sheep
661	にわとり	niwatori	Chicken
662	くま	kuma	Bear
663	さる	saru	Monkey
664	しか	shika	Deer
665	たぬき	tanuki	Raccoon dog
666	きつね	kitsune	Fox
667	うさぎ	usagi	Rabbit
668	むし	mushi	Insect
669	ちょうちょ	chouchou	Butterfly
670	はち	hachi	Bee
671	あり	ari	Ant
672	かえる	kaeru	Frog
673	へび	hebi	Snake
674	とかげ	tokage	Lizard
675	かめ	kame	Turtle
676	こいのぼり	koinobori	Carp streamer (Boys’ Day)
677	おんせん	onsen	Hot spring
678	かいがん	kaigan	Coastline
679	くさはら	kusahara	Meadow
680	ちへいせん	chiheisen	Horizon
681	ひので	hinode	Sunrise
682	ゆうひ	yuuhi	Sunset
683	あかつき	akatsuki	Dawn
684	よあけ	yoake	Daybreak
685	まんてんのほし	manten no hoshi	Starry sky
686	みちのく	michinoku	Tohoku (poetic)
687	しんりん	shinrin	Forest (formal)
688	たいりく	tairiku	Continent
689	はんとう	hantou	Peninsula
690	わん	wan	Bay
691	こ	ko	Lake
692	すいみゃく	suimyaku	Waterway
693	とうげ	touge	Mountain pass
694	だんち	danchi	Residential complex
695	こうがい	kougai	Suburbs
696	とかい	tokai	City / Urban area
697	いなか	inaka	Countryside
698	こうげん	kougen	Highland / Plateau
699	へいや	heiya	Plain / Flatland
700	ほっきょく	hokkyoku	North Pole

Deck 8 (Words 701–800): Work, Study & Technology

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
701	しごと	shigoto	Work / Job
702	かいしゃ	kaisha	Company
703	かいぎ	kaigi	Meeting
704	プレゼン	purezen	Presentation
705	ほうこく	houkoku	Report
706	しめきり	shimekiri	Deadline
707	けいかく	keikaku	Plan
708	プロジェクト	purojekuto	Project
709	きゅうりょう	kyuuryou	Salary
710	ざんぎょう	zangyou	Overtime
711	たいしょく	taishoku	Resignation
712	しゅうかつ	shuukatsu	Job hunting
713	めんせつ	mensetsu	Interview
714	けいやく	keiyaku	Contract
715	しょるい	shorui	Documents
716	しんせい	shinsei	Application
717	がっこう	gakkou	School
718	じゅぎょう	jugyou	Class / Lesson
719	しゅくだい	shukudai	Homework
720	しけん	shiken	Exam
721	せいせき	seiseki	Grades / Results
722	そつぎょう	sotsugyou	Graduation
723	にゅうがく	nyuugaku	School enrollment
724	りゅうがく	ryuugaku	Study abroad
725	しょうがっこう	shougakkou	Elementary school
726	ちゅうがっこう	chuugakkou	Middle school
727	こうこう	koukou	High school
728	だいがく	daigaku	University
729	だいがくいん	daigakuin	Graduate school
730	きょうかしょ	kyoukasho	Textbook
731	じしょ	jisho	Dictionary
732	としょかん	toshokan	Library
733	せんせい	sensei	Teacher
734	こたえ	kotae	Answer
735	しつもん	shitsumon	Question
736	せつめい	setsumei	Explanation
737	インターネット	intaanetto	Internet
738	ウェブサイト	uebusaito	Website
739	SNS	esu en esu	Social media
740	メール	meeru	Email
741	チャット	chatto	Chat
742	アプリ	apuri	App
743	パスワード	pasuwaado	Password
744	アカウント	akaunto	Account
745	データ	deeta	Data
746	クラウド	kuraudo	Cloud
747	ダウンロード	daunroodo	Download
748	アップロード	appuroodo	Upload
749	バックアップ	bakku appu	Backup
750	セキュリティ	sekyuriti	Security
751	プログラム	puroguramu	Program
752	AI	eii ai	Artificial intelligence
753	エラー	eraa	Error
754	アップデート	appudeeto	Update
755	Wi-Fi	wai fai	Wi-Fi
756	スマートフォン	sumaatofon	Smartphone
757	パソコン	pasokon	Computer
758	タブレット	taburetto	Tablet
759	キーボード	kiiboodo	Keyboard
760	スクリーン	sukuriin	Screen
761	カメラ	kamera	Camera
762	でんち	denchi	Battery
763	じゅうでん	juuden	Charging
764	ナビ	nabi	Navigation
765	GPS	jii pii esu	GPS
766	ブログ	burogu	Blog
767	ユーチューブ	yuuchuu bu	YouTube
768	ストリーミング	sutoriimingu	Streaming
769	オンライン	onrain	Online
770	テレワーク	teree waaku	Remote work
771	ビデオ通話	bideo tsuuwa	Video call
772	ウェブカメラ	uebukamera	Webcam
773	マイク	maiku	Microphone
774	スピーカー	supiikaa	Speaker
775	ヘッドホン	heddohon	Headphones
776	プリンター	purintaa	Printer
777	スキャナー	sukyanaa	Scanner
778	ファイル	fairu	File
779	フォルダ	foruda	Folder
780	ソフトウェア	sofutouea	Software
781	ハードウェア	haaodouea	Hardware
782	サーバー	saabaa	Server
783	ネットワーク	nettоwaaku	Network
784	プログラミング	puroguramingu	Programming
785	コード	koodo	Code
786	デバッグ	debaggu	Debugging
787	リリース	riirisu	Release
788	デジタル	dejitaru	Digital
789	アナログ	anarogu	Analog
790	バーチャル	baacharu	Virtual
791	ロボット	robotto	Robot
792	きかい	kikai	Machine
793	じどう	jidou	Automatic
794	でんし	denshi	Electronic
795	でんきせいひん	denki seihin	Electronics
796	かかく	kakaku	Price (of goods)
797	せいのう	seinou	Performance (tech)
798	きのう	kinou	Function / Feature
799	つかいかた	tsukaikata	How to use
800	せつめいしょ	setsumeisho	Instruction manual

Deck 9 (Words 801–900): Adverbs, Expressions & Particles

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
801	とても	totemo	Very
802	すごく	sugoku	Very / Awfully
803	かなり	kanari	Fairly / Considerably
804	けっこう	kekkou	Quite / Rather
805	まあまあ	maamaa	So-so
806	ぜんぜん	zenzen	Not at all (with neg)
807	あまり	amari	Not very (with neg)
808	すこし	sukoshi	A little
809	たくさん	takusan	A lot
810	もっと	motto	More
811	いちばん	ichiban	The most
812	いつも	itsumo	Always
813	たまに	tama ni	Sometimes
814	よく	yoku	Often / Well
815	めったに	metta ni	Rarely
816	けっして	kesshite	Never (with neg)
817	もう	mou	Already
818	まだ	mada	Still / Not yet
819	すぐ	sugu	Right away
820	あとで	ato de	Later
821	さっき	sakki	Just now
822	ゆっくり	yukkuri	Slowly
823	はやく	hayaku	Quickly / Early
824	そろそろ	sorosoro	About time
825	やっと	yatto	Finally
826	もちろん	mochiron	Of course
827	たぶん	tabun	Probably
828	おそらく	osoraku	Perhaps
829	ぜひ	zehi	By all means
830	かならず	kanarazu	Without fail
831	きっと	kitto	Surely / Certainly
832	たしかに	tashika ni	Certainly
833	ほんとうに	hontou ni	Really
834	じつは	jitsu wa	Actually
835	まさか	masaka	No way!
836	なるほど	naruhodo	I see
837	そういえば	sou ieba	Come to think of it
838	ところで	tokorode	By the way
839	つまり	tsumari	In other words
840	たとえば	tatoeba	For example
841	それから	sorekara	After that / And then
842	だから	dakara	Therefore
843	でも	demo	But
844	しかし	shikashi	However (formal)
845	それでも	soredemo	Even so
846	さらに	sara ni	Furthermore
847	また	mata	Also / Again
848	それに	soreni	Moreover
849	いっぽう	ippou	On the other hand
850	むしろ	mushiro	Rather
851	とにかく	tonikaku	Anyway
852	やはり	yahari	As expected
853	やっぱり	yappari	As I thought (casual)
854	なんとか	nantoka	Somehow
855	ようやく	youyaku	At last
856	さいわい	saiwai	Fortunately
857	あいにく	ainiku	Unfortunately
858	ちょうど	choudo	Exactly
859	ほぼ	hobo	Almost
860	だいたい	daitai	Roughly / Generally
861	はっきり	hakkiri	Clearly
862	ぼんやり	bonyari	Vaguely
863	とつぜん	totsuzen	Suddenly
864	じょじょに	jojo ni	Gradually
865	は (topic)	wa	Topic marker
866	が (subject)	ga	Subject marker
867	を (object)	wo	Object marker
868	に (direction)	ni	Direction / Time marker
869	で (location)	de	Location / Method marker
870	と (and/with)	to	And / With
871	も (also)	mo	Also / Too
872	の (possessive)	no	Possessive / Nominalizer
873	か (question)	ka	Question marker
874	ね (right?)	ne	Seeking agreement
875	よ (assertion)	yo	Assertion / Notice
876	な (prohibition)	na	Prohibition (casual)
877	ぞ (strong assert)	zo	Strong assertion (male)
878	わ (softening)	wa	Softening (female)
879	さ (casual assert)	sa	Casual assertion
880	から (because)	kara	Because / From
881	けど / けれど	kedo / keredo	But / Although
882	のに (despite)	noni	Despite / And yet
883	ので (reason)	node	Because (soft)
884	ながら (while)	nagara	While doing
885	てから (after)	te kara	After doing
886	まえに (before)	mae ni	Before doing
887	ために (purpose)	tame ni	In order to
888	について	ni tsuite	About / Regarding
889	にとって	ni totte	For (perspective)
890	によって	ni yotte	By / Depending on
891	として	to shite	As / In the role of
892	にくらべて	ni kurabete	Compared to
893	にたいして	ni taishite	Against / Toward
894	とおりに	toori ni	As / According to
895	くらい / ほど	kurai / hodo	About / To the degree
896	だけ	dake	Only / Just
897	しか (only neg)	shika	Nothing but
898	さえ	sae	Even / As long as
899	こそ	koso	Precisely / It is… that
900	ばかり	bakari	Only / Just (amount)

Deck 10 (Words 901–1000): JLPT Power Words & Connectors

These words close the gap between N5 and N4, and add nuance to everything you’ve already learned.

#	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
901	らしい	rashii	Seems / Apparently
902	そうだ	sou da	I heard / It seems
903	はずだ	hazu da	Should be / Expected
904	かもしれない	kamoshirenai	Might be
905	にちがいない	ni chigai nai	Must be
906	だろう	darou	Probably
907	べきだ	beki da	Should
908	てはいけない	te wa ikenai	Must not
909	なければならない	nakereba naranai	Must / Have to
910	てもいい	te mo ii	It’s okay to
911	たほうがいい	ta hou ga ii	Better to
912	てみる	te miru	To try doing
913	てしまう	te shimau	To end up doing / Accidentally
914	ておく	te oku	To do in advance
915	てあげる	te ageru	To do for someone
916	てもらう	te morau	To have someone do
917	てくれる	te kureru	To do for me (kindness)
918	ことができる	koto ga dekiru	Can / Is able to
919	ことがある	koto ga aru	There are times when
920	ことになる	koto ni naru	It has been decided that
921	ことにする	koto ni suru	To decide to
922	ようになる	you ni naru	To come to / Become able to
923	ようにする	you ni suru	To make an effort to
924	そうになる	sou ni naru	To almost / Be about to
925	てほしい	te hoshii	Want someone to do
926	たい	tai	Want to do
927	ほしい	hoshii	Want (a thing)
928	すぎる	sugiru	Too much / Excessively
929	やすい	yasui	Easy to do (suffix)
930	にくい	nikui	Hard to do (suffix)
931	そうだ (appearance)	sou da	Looks like / Seems (visual)
932	ように	you ni	Like / In order to
933	ような	you na	Like / Similar to
934	わけだ	wake da	That’s why / It means
935	わけではない	wake de wa nai	It doesn’t mean that
936	わけにはいかない	wake ni wa ikanai	Cannot possibly
937	ざるをえない	zaru wo enai	Cannot avoid
938	にすぎない	ni suginai	Nothing more than
939	にほかならない	ni hoka naranai	Is nothing but
940	というのは	to iu no wa	What is meant by
941	とはいえ	to wa ie	That said / Even so
942	といっても	to itte mo	Even if one says
943	にもかかわらず	ni mo kakawarazu	Despite / Regardless of
944	おかげで	okage de	Thanks to
945	せいで	sei de	Because of (negative)
946	ものの	mono no	Although
947	からには	kara ni wa	Now that / Since
948	うえで	ue de	After / Upon
949	かぎり	kagiri	As long as / To the extent
950	に応じて	ni oujite	Depending on / According to
951	をはじめ	wo hajime	Starting with / Including
952	にわたって	ni watatte	Over / Throughout
953	をとおして	wo tooshite	Through / Throughout
954	にしたがって	ni shitagatte	As / In accordance with
955	とともに	to tomo ni	Together with / As
956	にくわえて	ni kuwaete	In addition to
957	ばかりでなく	bakari de naku	Not only
958	のみならず	nomi narazu	Not only (formal)
959	にせよ	ni seyo	Whether or / Even if
960	であれ	de are	Whether it is
961	たとえ～ても	tatoe~te mo	Even if
962	どんなに～ても	donna ni~te mo	No matter how
963	いくら～ても	ikura~te mo	No matter how much
964	かりに～たとしても	kari ni~to shite mo	Even if we suppose
965	まるで～ようだ	maru de~you da	Just like / As if
966	あたかも～ようだ	atakamo~you da	As if (literary)
967	ちょうどいい	choudo ii	Just right
968	ちょうどよかった	choudo yokatta	Glad it worked out
969	ものだ	mono da	It is natural that / Used to
970	ものではない	mono de wa nai	One should not
971	ものなら	mono nara	If possible
972	ことだ	koto da	Should do
973	ことはない	koto wa nai	No need to
974	ことか	koto ka	How (exclamation)
975	なんと	nanto	How / What (surprise)
976	なんて	nante	Such as / How (informal)
977	ようするに	you suru ni	In short
978	けっきょく	kekkyoku	In the end
979	さいごに	saigo ni	Finally / In closing
980	まとめると	matomeru to	To summarize
981	いじょう	ijou	That’s all / More than
982	いか	ika	Less than / Below
983	まえもって	mae motte	In advance
984	あらかじめ	arakajime	Beforehand
985	いちど	ichido	Once
986	もういちど	mou ichido	One more time
987	はじめて	hajimete	For the first time
988	さいしょ	saisho	The beginning / First
989	さいご	saigo	The end / Last
990	さいだい	saidai	Maximum / Largest
991	さいしょう	saishou	Minimum / Smallest
992	もっともよい	mottomo yoi	The best
993	もっともわるい	mottomo warui	The worst
994	いちばんすき	ichiban suki	Favorite
995	とくに	toku ni	Especially
996	なかでも	naka de mo	Among them
997	おもに	omo ni	Mainly
998	だいたい	daitai	Roughly / Generally
999	てきかく	tekikaku	Accurately / Precisely
1000	よろしくおねがいします	yoroshiku onegai shimasu	Thank you in advance / Please treat me well

Example Sentences for Anki Cards

The best Anki cards include a natural example sentence on the back. Here are detailed examples organized by card type — ready to copy into your deck.

🟢 Verb Cards (add to back of Deck 1 cards)

する (suru) — To do 毎日日本語の勉強をする。(Mainichi Nihongo no benkyou wo suru.) — I study Japanese every day.

おぼえる (oboeru) — To memorize 単語をアンキで覚える。(Tango wo Anki de oboeru.) — I memorize vocabulary with Anki.

わすれる (wasureru) — To forget カードを毎日見ないと忘れてしまう。(Kaado wo mainichi minai to wasurete shimau.) — If I don’t review cards daily, I forget.

できる (dekiru) — Can / Be able to 一年間勉強すれば日本語が話せるようになる。(Ichinenkan benkyou sureba Nihongo ga hanaseru you ni naru.) — If you study for a year, you’ll be able to speak Japanese.

🟡 Adjective Cards (add to back of Deck 2 cards)

むずかしい (muzukashii) — Difficult 漢字は難しいが、ひらがなはやさしい。(Kanji wa muzukashii ga, hiragana wa yasashii.) — Kanji is difficult, but hiragana is easy.

べんり (benri) — Convenient アンキはとても便利なアプリだ。(Anki wa totemo benri na apuri da.) — Anki is a very convenient app.

たいせつ (taisetsu) — Important 毎日の復習は大切だ。(Mainichi no fukushuu wa taisetsu da.) — Daily review is important.

🔵 JLPT Grammar Pattern Cards (Deck 10)

らしい (rashii) — Apparently 彼は日本語が上手らしい。(Kare wa Nihongo ga jouzu rashii.) — He is apparently good at Japanese.

ことができる (koto ga dekiru) — Can アンキを使えば、たくさんの単語を覚えることができる。(Anki wo tsukaeba, takusan no tango wo oboeru koto ga dekiru.) — By using Anki, you can memorize many words.

ようになる (you ni naru) — Come to be able to 毎日練習すると、自然に話せるようになる。(Mainichi renshuu suru to, shizen ni hanaseru you ni naru.) — If you practice every day, you’ll naturally come to be able to speak.

てしまう (te shimau) — End up doing (regret) 復習しないと、せっかく覚えた単語を忘れてしまう。(Fukushuu shinai to, sekkaku oboeta tango wo wasurete shimau.) — If I don’t review, I end up forgetting the words I worked so hard to memorize.

How to Build the Perfect Japanese Anki Deck

Trusted Japanese tutor Fumito Emi at reading-japanese.com recommends the following Anki setup for maximum results with this word list:

Step 1: Set Up Your Card Template

Front of card:

Japanese word in kanji/kana (e.g., 食べる)
Audio file if available

Back of card:

Hiragana reading (e.g., たべる)
Romaji (e.g., taberu)
English meaning (e.g., To eat)
Example sentence in Japanese
English translation of sentence

This format trains reading, listening, and meaning simultaneously. Avoid putting romaji on the front — you want your brain to process Japanese script directly.

Step 2: Learn the Scripts Before Anki

Anki will be far less effective if you’re reading romaji instead of kana. Spend one week on our hiragana chart and one week on our katakana chart before building your first deck.

Step 3: Set Your Daily New Cards Limit

Beginners: 15–20 new cards/day
Intermediate: 20–30 new cards/day
Aggressive learners: Up to 50/day (but review burden grows fast)

At 20 cards/day, you’ll complete all 1,000 words in 50 days.

Step 4: Never Skip Review Days

The power of Anki comes from the algorithm — but it only works if you review every day. A single missed day makes cards pile up and breaks your retention curve. Even 5 minutes of reviews is better than zero.

Step 5: Use Sub-Decks by Category

Import each of the 10 decks in this guide as a separate sub-deck in Anki. This lets you:

Focus on a category you’re currently using (e.g., food words before a trip to Japan)
Pause decks you don’t need yet (e.g., delay Deck 10 until you finish N5)
Track your progress category by category

Step 6: Add Audio to Every Card

Anki supports audio files on cards. You can find free native Japanese audio for all common words on Forvo (forvo.com) or use AI tools. Hearing pronunciation as you study cements both meaning and sound simultaneously.

Step 7: Align Your Deck with JLPT Goals

This list maps directly to JLPT levels:

Decks 1–5 → N5 core vocabulary
Decks 6–8 → N4 vocabulary expansion
Decks 9–10 → N4 grammar patterns and expressions

For a dedicated JLPT word list, check our JLPT N5 vocabulary guide.

Download: Pre-Made Anki Deck, PDF & Audio

Want to skip building your own deck from scratch?

Fumito Emi at reading-japanese.com offers:

🃏 Pre-Built Anki Deck (.apkg) — All 1,000 words, 10 sub-decks, formatted with the card template above, ready to import
🔊 Native Audio Files — MP3 pronunciation for every word, compatible with Anki’s audio field
📄 PDF Reference Sheet — Printable quick-reference version of all 1,000 words
✍️ Kana Writing Sheets — Practice writing hiragana and katakana alongside your Anki study
📝 Sentence Cloze Cards — Extra Anki deck with fill-in-the-blank sentence cards for every verb and adjective

👉 Download everything free at reading-japanese.com

For official JLPT vocabulary requirements and exam registration, visit the JLPT official website.

FAQ

❓ What is the best Anki deck for Japanese beginners?

The best beginner Anki deck focuses on high-frequency vocabulary in a logical order — core verbs first, then adjectives, then nouns. The 10-deck structure in this guide is specifically designed for this. Start with Deck 1 (Core Verbs) and Deck 2 (Adjectives) before moving on.

❓ How many new Anki cards should I add per day for Japanese?

Most experienced learners recommend 15–25 new cards per day as a sustainable pace. Going over 30/day creates a heavy review burden that compounds quickly. For the 1,000 words in this list, 20 cards/day = 50 days to complete the full list.

❓ Should I use romaji or hiragana on my Anki cards?

Always use hiragana (and kanji) on your cards — not romaji. Romaji creates a crutch that slows long-term progress. Use our free hiragana chart to learn kana in under a week, then build your deck with hiragana on the front. Romaji can appear on the back as a pronunciation guide only.

❓ Is 1,000 words enough to pass JLPT N5?

The JLPT N5 requires approximately 800 vocabulary items. So yes — the words in Decks 1–5 of this guide cover everything you need for N5, with room to spare. For a targeted N5 deck, see our JLPT N5 vocabulary guide.

❓ What is the best Anki settings configuration for Japanese?

For beginners, use these settings:

New cards/day: 20
Maximum reviews/day: 200
Graduating interval: 1 day
Easy interval: 4 days
Starting ease: 250%

As you advance, increase the graduating interval and maximum reviews to match your growing deck.

❓ How long does it take to memorize 1,000 Japanese words with Anki?

With 20 new cards per day and daily reviews, you’ll complete the initial learning phase in 50 days. Full retention — where all 1,000 words are in long-term memory — typically takes 3–5 months of regular review. Anki’s algorithm handles this automatically.

❓ Can I use this list with other SRS apps besides Anki?

Yes. This word list works with any spaced repetition tool: Wanikani (for kanji-focused study), Kitsun.io, Bunpro (for grammar), or even physical flashcards. Anki is the most flexible option since you can fully customize card templates.

Continue building your Japanese with these free guides from Fumito Emi at reading-japanese.com:

🎯 Build Your Deck. Study Every Day. Reach Fluency.

You now have the complete 1,000 most common Japanese words for Anki — organized into 10 purposeful decks, complete with romaji, meanings, and card-ready example sentences.

The hardest part of Anki is starting. The second hardest part is not stopping.

Start with Deck 1 today — just 20 cards. Come back tomorrow. Let the algorithm do the rest.

📥 Download the pre-built Anki deck (.apkg) for free at reading-japanese.com — import it in seconds and start studying immediately.

Written by Fumito Emi | Japanese Language Tutor | reading-japanese.com References: Spaced Repetition — Wikipedia | JLPT Official Site

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