JLPT N5 Practice Test: Free Online Quiz With Answers

Choose the word or reading that best fits.

1. 1.「水」の読み方はどれですか。

   1. みず 2. ひ 3. き 4. つち
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. みず

   「水（みず）」means "water" and is correctly read as みず (mizu). The most tempting wrong answers are the other nature elements: ひ (火（ひ）/fire), き (木（き）/tree), and つち (土（ど）/earth) — all part of the classical Japanese elements. These readings belong to different kanji, so don't confuse them. 水（みず） = みず is a standalone vocabulary item to memorize directly.

   • 2. ひ: 「ひ」is the kun'yomi of 火 (fire), a different kanji entirely. It is not a reading of 水.
   • 3. き: 「き」is the kun'yomi of 木 (tree). The kanji 水 has no き reading.
   • 4. つち: 「つち」is the kun'yomi of 土 (earth/soil). It belongs to a different kanji.

2. 2.あさ、ごはんを___。

   1. 食べます 2. 飲みます 3. 見ます 4. 聞きます
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. 食べます

   食べ（たべ）ます (tabemasu) means "to eat," which is the correct verb for consuming solid food like ごはん (rice/a meal). The most tempting wrong choice is 飲み（のみ）ます (nomimasu), meaning "to drink," but this verb is used for liquids. While ごはん can sometimes feel ambiguous, it refers to a meal/rice — something you eat, not drink. Always pair food with 食べ（たべ）ます, beverages with 飲み（のみ）ます.

   • 2. 飲みます: 「飲（の）みます」(to drink) is for liquids only. ごはん is solid food, so it pairs with 食（た）べる — Japanese strictly separates solid eating from liquid drinking.
   • 3. 見ます: 「見（み）ます」(to watch / to look) is the wrong action. You don't 'see' rice in this context — the verb you do to a meal is 食（た）べる.
   • 4. 聞きます: 「聞（き）きます」(to listen / to ask) doesn't apply to food. ごはん cannot be the object of 聞（き）く.

3. 3.「大きい」の反対(はんたい)のことばはどれですか。

   1. 小さい 2. 新しい 3. 古い 4. 高い
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. 小さい

   「小さい（ちいさい）」(small) is the direct antonym of 「大きい（おおきい）」(big), making it the correct answer. The most tempting wrong choice might be 「高い（たかい）」(tall/high/expensive), which relates to size or scale — but it describes height or price, not the opposite of overall bigness. Antonyms must be direct opposites on the same dimension, and 大きい（おおきい）↔小さい（ちいさい） is that exact pair.

   • 2. 新しい: 「新（あたら）しい」(new) is the antonym of 古（ふる）い (old), not of 大（おお）きい. It describes age, not size.
   • 3. 古い: 「古（ふる）い」(old) pairs with 新（あたら）しい. Like 新（あたら）しい, it sits on the age dimension, not the size dimension.
   • 4. 高い: 「高（たか）い」(tall / expensive) lives on the height or price axis. The opposite of size 大（おお）きい is the size 小（ちい）さい.

4. 4.「学校」の読み方はどれですか。

   1. がっこう 2. がくしゃ 3. だいがく 4. かいしゃ
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. がっこう

   「学校（がっこう）」correctly reads as がっこう (gakkō), meaning "school." The trickiest wrong choice is がくしゃ (Choice 1), which uses 学（がく） (gaku) but pairs it incorrectly — がくしゃ means "scholar" and uses different kanji (学者（がくしゃ）). Note that 学（がく） becomes がっ (with a double consonant) in 学校（がっこう） due to sound assimilation, and 校（こう） reads こう, not しゃ.

   • 2. がくしゃ: 「がくしゃ」is the reading of 学者（がくしゃ） (scholar) — different kanji, with 者 instead of 校.
   • 3. だいがく: 「だいがく」is the reading of 大学（だいがく） (university). It uses 大, which isn't part of 学校.
   • 4. かいしゃ: 「かいしゃ」is the reading of 会社（かいしゃ） (company). Neither 会 nor 社 appears in 学校.

5. 5.わたし___がくせいです。

   1. は 2. を 3. に 4. で
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. は

   は is the topic marker particle, making "わたしは" mean "As for me," which correctly links the subject to the predicate がくせいです (am a student). The most tempting wrong choice, を, marks a direct object — but がくせいです is a state-of-being, not an action with an object. You need は (or が) to mark who the sentence is about, not を.

   • 2. を: 「を」marks a direct object of an action verb. がくせいです is a copula sentence with no action — there is no object to mark.
   • 3. に: 「に」marks destination, time, or recipient. None of those roles fits 私（わたし） in front of a copula like です.
   • 4. で: 「で」marks location of action or means. In a simple identity statement 私（わたし）___学生（がくせい）です, location/means makes no sense.

6. 6.スーパーでパンを___。

   1. 買いました 2. 書きました 3. 聞きました 4. 話しました
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. 買いました

   買い（かい）ました (kaimashita) means "bought," making "I bought bread at the supermarket" perfectly natural. The most tempting wrong choice might be 聞き（きき）ました ("listened/asked"), but you listen to sounds or ask people — not something you do to bread at a store. 買う（かう） specifically means to purchase, which is the only logical action here in a shopping context.

   • 2. 書きました: 「書（か）きました」(wrote) doesn't fit — you don't write bread. The action you perform on food at a store is 買（か）う.
   • 3. 聞きました: 「聞（き）きました」(listened / asked) — listening to bread or asking bread makes no semantic sense; 聞（き）く needs people or sounds.
   • 4. 話しました: 「話（はな）しました」(talked / spoke) takes a person or topic, not a物 like パン. The natural verb at a store is 買（か）う.

7. 7.A:「これは___ですか。」B:「本です。」

   1. 何 2. どこ 3. だれ 4. いつ
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. 何

   何（なん） (nani/nan) means "what," making the exchange "What is this?" / "It's a book" — a perfect match. The most tempting wrong choice might be だれ (dare) meaning "who," but that asks about a person's identity, not an object. Since the answer refers to a thing (本（ほん）/book), only 何（なん） fits. どこ means "where" and いつ means "when," neither of which applies here.

   • 2. どこ: 「どこ」asks 'where' — it expects a place answer, but B answered with 本（ほん）, an object.
   • 3. だれ: 「だれ」asks 'who' — it expects a person, but B answered with a thing.
   • 4. いつ: 「いつ」asks 'when' — it expects a time, but B's answer is an identity, not a time.

8. 8.あした、学校___行きます。

   1. に 2. を 3. が 4. と
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. に

   「に」 marks the destination of movement — "going to school." The particle 「を」 is the most tempting wrong choice, but を marks the direct object of an action (e.g., something you do to something), not a destination. With movement verbs like 行き（いき）ます/来（き）ます/帰り（かえり）ます, に is the correct particle to indicate where you are heading.

   • 2. を: 「を」marks the direct object of an action. 学校（がっこう） is the destination of 行（い）く, not its object.
   • 3. が: 「が」marks the grammatical subject. The subject here is the implicit speaker, not 学校（がっこう）.
   • 4. と: 「と」marks 'with (companion)' or quotation. It cannot mark the place you are heading toward.

9. 9.ふゆは___です。

   1. 寒い 2. 暑い 3. 高い 4. 大きい
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. 寒い

   寒い (さむい) means "cold," which correctly describes winter (ふゆ). The most tempting wrong choice is 暑い (あつい), meaning "hot," which also describes temperature — but 暑い（あつい） refers to heat, typically used for summer. 寒い（さむい） specifically means cold/chilly, making it the only appropriate word for winter weather.

   • 2. 暑い: 「暑（あつ）い」(hot) describes warm weather and is associated with summer, not winter. It is the opposite of 寒（さむ）い.
   • 3. 高い: 「高（たか）い」(tall / expensive) describes height or price, not temperature. It does not pair with seasons.
   • 4. 大きい: 「大（おお）きい」(big) describes size. Seasons are characterised by temperature, not size.

10. 10.「本をよみます」の「よみます」の漢字はどれですか。

    1. 読みます 2. 書きます 3. 見ます 4. 話します
    Show answer

    Answer: 1. 読みます

    「読み（よみ）ます」(よみます) means "to read," which perfectly matches the hiragana よみます. The most tempting wrong choice is 書き（かき）ます (かきます), meaning "to write" — a related literacy action, but a completely different verb and reading. Remember: 読（よみ） = read, 書（しょ） = write. The other choices, 見（み）ます (to see) and 話し（はなし）ます (to speak), don't match either in meaning or reading.

    • 2. 書きます: 「書（か）きます」means 'to write', not 'to read'. The kanji 書 is for writing, while 読 is for reading.
    • 3. 見ます: 「見（み）ます」means 'to see / to watch'. The kanji 見 is for seeing visually, distinct from 読 (read).
    • 4. 話します: 「話（はな）します」means 'to speak'. The kanji 話 is unrelated to reading.

Choose the option that correctly fills the blank.

1. 11.わたし___がくせいです。

   1. は 2. を 3. に 4. で
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. は

   は is the topic marker particle, making "わたしは" mean "As for me," which correctly introduces "がくせいです (I am a student)." The most tempting wrong choice, を, is the object marker used with action verbs — but がくせいです is a stative "to be" sentence, not an action, so を is grammatically impossible here. は is the only particle that correctly marks the sentence's topic.

   • 2. を: 「を」is the object marker for action verbs. 学生（がくせい）です is a copula (state-of-being) sentence with no object to mark.
   • 3. に: 「に」marks destination, time, or indirect object — none of those roles applies to 私（わたし） before a copula.
   • 4. で: 「で」marks location of action or means. A simple identity statement (X is Y) has no action location.

2. 12.まいあさ パン___たべます。

   1. が 2. に 3. を 4. で
   Show answer

   Answer: 3. を

   を is correct because it marks the direct object of an action verb — here, パン (bread) is what is being eaten (たべます). The most tempting wrong choice is が, which also marks a noun before a verb, but が marks the grammatical subject (the doer), not the object. を is specifically required when indicating what receives the action of eating.

   • 1. が: 「が」marks the grammatical subject. パン would have to be the eater, not the food being eaten — but it's the food, so we need を.
   • 2. に: 「に」marks destination, time, or recipient. Bread isn't a place or a time, and 食（た）べます needs an object marker.
   • 4. で: 「で」marks location or means (e.g. レストランで). It cannot mark the bread that is being consumed.

3. 13.としょかん___ほんを よみます。

   1. に 2. で 3. を 4. へ
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. で

   で marks the location where an action takes place, so としょかんで = "at the library (I read)." The most tempting wrong choice is に, but に marks a destination or static existence (e.g., いる/ある), not where an activity occurs. Since よみます is an active verb, で is required to indicate the place of that action.

   • 1. に: 「に」marks existence (います／あります) or destination. Reading happens AT the library, but it's an action — that needs で.
   • 3. を: 「を」marks direct object. The library isn't being read; the book is.
   • 4. へ: 「へ」marks direction toward a destination. The action of reading isn't a movement, so へ doesn't apply.

4. 14.まいにち しちじ___おきます。

   1. で 2. を 3. に 4. と
   Show answer

   Answer: 3. に

   に is correct because it marks a specific point in time — 七（なな）時（じ）に means "at 7 o'clock." The most tempting wrong choice is で, which marks location or means/method, not time points. While で can indicate a time-related boundary in some contexts, it does not express "at [a specific time]." に is the standard particle for pinpointing when an action occurs.

   • 1. で: 「で」marks place of action or means/method, not points in time. 七時（しちじ） is a time point, which needs に.
   • 2. を: 「を」is for direct objects of verbs. A time like 七時（しちじ） can't be a verb's object.
   • 4. と: 「と」marks 'with (companion)' or quotation. It does not mark when an action happens.

5. 15.きょうしつに せんせい___。

   1. が あります 2. が います 3. を あります 4. を います
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. が います

   が います is correct because います is used for living beings (people, animals), and が is the correct subject particle here. The most tempting wrong choice is が あります — あります is also paired with が, but it's used for inanimate objects, not people. Since せんせい (teacher) is a person, います is required, not あります.

   • 1. が あります: 「が あります」uses あります, which is for inanimate things (objects, plants). 先生（せんせい） is a person, requiring います.
   • 3. を あります: 「を あります」mixes the wrong particle and verb — を marks objects of verbs, but あります is an existence verb that takes が.
   • 4. を います: 「を います」also pairs the wrong particle with います. Existence sentences use が, not を.

6. 16.きってを ___ ください。

   1. さんぼん 2. さんまい 3. さんびき 4. さんさつ
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. さんまい

   さんまい is correct because 枚 (まい) is the counter for flat, thin objects like stamps (切手（きって）), paper, and sheets. The most tempting wrong choice, さんぼん, uses 本（ほん） (ほん/ぼん), which counts long, cylindrical objects (pens, bottles). Since stamps are flat and sheet-like, まい is required. さんびき counts animals; さんさつ counts bound books — neither fits stamps.

   • 1. さんぼん: 「さんぼん」uses 〜本（ほん）, the counter for long, cylindrical objects (pens, bottles). Stamps are flat, so 本 doesn't apply.
   • 3. さんびき: 「さんびき」uses 〜匹（ひき）, the counter for small animals. Stamps aren't animals.
   • 4. さんさつ: 「さんさつ」uses 〜冊（さつ）, the counter for bound volumes (books, magazines). Stamps are single sheets, not bound.

7. 17.いっしょに えいがを み___か。

   1. ました 2. ません 3. ます 4. まして
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. ません

   ません makes this a polite invitation: "Shall we watch a movie together?" In Japanese, a negative question (〜ませんか) is the standard way to invite someone. ます (choice 2) is a simple present/future statement ("I will watch"), not an invitation. The 〜ませんか form softens the request by framing it as "won't you...?", which is the go-to invitation structure in Japanese.

   • 1. ました: 「ました」is plain polite past. The sentence ends in か forming a question, but 見（み）ましたか would mean 'Did you watch?' — past observation, not invitation.
   • 3. ます: 「ます」forms a non-past statement. 見（み）ますか asks 'Will you watch?' as a yes/no question, lacking the soft inviting nuance of 見（み）ませんか.
   • 4. まして: 「まして」is the te-form of ます, used to chain clauses politely. It doesn't form a complete sentence-ending invitation.

8. 18.きのうの てんきは ___です。

   1. さむい 2. さむくて 3. さむかった 4. さむいでした
   Show answer

   Answer: 3. さむかった

   さむかった is correct because the sentence refers to yesterday's weather, requiring past tense. For i-adjectives, the plain past form is made by replacing い with かった. The most tempting wrong choice, さむいでした, is grammatically incorrect — i-adjectives cannot attach directly to でした. Unlike na-adjectives or nouns, i-adjectives form their own past tense (さむかった), making さむいでした ungrammatical in Japanese.

   • 1. さむい: 「さむい」is the present-tense form. The sentence specifies 昨日（きのう） (yesterday), so a past form is required.
   • 2. さむくて: 「さむくて」is the te-form, used to connect clauses ('cold and …'). It cannot stand as the sentence-final past predicate.
   • 4. さむいでした: 「さむいでした」is ungrammatical — i-adjectives form their own past with 〜かった and never attach directly to でした (that's na-adjective / noun behaviour).

9. 19.わたしは ねこ___すきです。

   1. を 2. が 3. に 4. で
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. が

   が is correct because すき (like/fond of) is a na-adjective that requires が to mark its object — the thing being liked. This is a fixed grammar pattern: X が すきです. The tempting wrong choice を might seem natural since を typically marks direct objects of verbs, but すき is not a verb. Using を here is grammatically incorrect in standard Japanese.

   • 1. を: 「を」marks the direct object of a transitive verb. 好（す）き is a な-adjective, not a verb, so it can't take を.
   • 3. に: 「に」marks direction or recipient. 好（す）き doesn't have a 'direction' — it has a thing-liked, marked by が.
   • 4. で: 「で」marks location or means of action. 好（す）き describes a state of preference, not a location-based action.

10. 20.あつい___、まどを あけます。

    1. から 2. まで 3. など 4. より
    Show answer

    Answer: 1. から

    から means "because," making the sentence "Because it's hot, I open the window" — a natural cause-and-effect statement. The most tempting wrong choice, より, means "than" (used in comparisons, e.g., "hotter than"). It cannot express a reason. から is the only particle that links a cause (heat) to a resulting action (opening the window).

    • 2. まで: 「まで」means 'until / as far as' — a boundary in space or time. It doesn't link a cause to a consequence.
    • 3. など: 「など」means 'such as / etc.', used to list examples non-exhaustively. It cannot express causal reasoning.
    • 4. より: 「より」means 'than', used in comparisons (e.g. AよりB). It has no causal meaning here.

Read the passage, then answer each question.

あしたはしょくどうがやすみです。みなさんはべんとうをもってきてください。のみものももってきてください。

1. 21.あしたしょくどうはどうですか。

   1. やすみです 2. あいています 3. あたらしくなります 4. ひるまであいています
   Show answer

   Answer: 1. やすみです

   The notice clearly states 「しょくどうがやすみです」 — the cafeteria is closed. The other options contradict or are not in the text.

   • 2. あいています: Opposite of what the notice says. やすみです means closed; あいています (open) contradicts the cancellation.
   • 3. あたらしくなります: あたらしくなります (becomes new / renovated) is not in the notice. The cafeteria is just closed for the day, not under renovation.
   • 4. ひるまであいています: Partial-opening (until noon) is not stated. The notice declares a full-day closure with やすみです, no half-day exception.

2. 22.あしたなにをもってきますか。

   1. ノート 2. べんとうとのみもの 3. おかね 4. かばん
   Show answer

   Answer: 2. べんとうとのみもの

   The notice asks for べんとう (lunch box) and のみもの (drink). Only one option lists both. Other items are not requested.

   • 1. ノート: ノート (notebook) is not in the notice. The two items requested are べんとう and のみもの, both food/drink.
   • 3. おかね: おかね (money) is never mentioned. The notice asks for food and drink because the cafeteria is closed, not money.
   • 4. かばん: かばん (bag) is not in the notice. The specific items requested are べんとう and のみもの — students may carry them in a bag, but the bag itself is not the answer.