JLPT N4 Kanji List: All 240 Kanji Organized by Topic

JLPT N4 requires approximately 240 kanji beyond those tested at N5. Since N5 covers around 103 kanji, an N4-level learner is expected to recognize and use roughly 343 kanji in total. The JLPT does not publish an official fixed list, but these figures are consistent across major preparation materials. This guide covers key examples from all major topic categories.

Learn kanji through compound words (熟語, じゅくご) rather than in isolation. N4 kanji appear in compounds like 意味（いみ meaning）、感動（かんどう being moved）、最近（さいきん recently）、続ける（つづける to continue）. Grouping kanji by topic — as this guide does — builds connected vocabulary networks that make recall faster and more reliable than alphabetical lists.

森 (もり) refers to a dense forest — typically larger and wilder. 林 (はやし) refers to a smaller grove or woodland, often cultivated or lighter in density. The visual difference reflects the meaning: 林 has two trees while 森 has three, suggesting greater density. In practice, はやし is also a very common Japanese surname.

Focus on the most common compounds for each reading. 頭 has two main readings: あたま (the body part — 頭が痛い) and ず (in compounds like 頭痛 ずつう). Learning those two compounds covers both readings naturally and in context. Memorizing abstract on/kun lists is far less effective than encountering each reading in a real word.

High-frequency N4 kanji on the exam tend to be those used in common compounds across multiple domains: 意（意味 meaning）、感（感じ feeling）、続（続ける continue）、決（決める decide）、選（選ぶ choose）、変（変える change）、最（最近 recently / 最後 last）. Verbs and abstract concepts appear frequently in reading comprehension sections.

Study them simultaneously. N4 grammar patterns like なければならない, てしまう, and causative/passive forms appear in reading passages written with N4 kanji. A balanced approach — learning grammar patterns alongside the kanji they commonly appear with — produces better reading ability and faster exam preparation than studying them sequentially.