Pre-N5 foundations · Group 1
Your first numbers
一二三四五
Notice the spacing between simple lines.
Meanings and words to learn
- 一 · one
一（いち） · one - 二 · two
二（に） · two - 三 · three
三（さん） · three - 四 · four
四（よん） · four - 五 · five
五（ご） · five
Practice / Kanji Writing Studio
Beginner and N5 kanji writing practice
A meaning, a word, a shape you remember. Learn 80 kanji through full stroke animations, tracing, and short memory practice. Free, with no account needed.
Preparing your kanji writing space…
From your first kanji to everyday words
Begin with numbers and familiar shapes such as 日 (day), 山 (mountain), and 人 (person). Our Pre-N5 path introduces 20 characters in four small groups. When these feel familiar, continue with 60 more kanji for N5 study: time, school, family, directions, and everyday actions.
Pre-N5 is ReadNihongo’s foundation label, not an official exam level. This is a curated beginner study set, not an exhaustive or official JLPT checklist. The JLPT does not publish a fixed kanji list, and its exam does not test handwriting. Use writing to support recognition and recall alongside reading practice.
Pre-N5 foundations · Group 2
Count to ten
六七八九十
Follow turns without lifting your pen mid-stroke.
Meanings and words to learn
- 六 · six
六（ろく） · six - 七 · seven
七（なな） · seven - 八 · eight
八（はち） · eight - 九 · nine
九（きゅう） · nine - 十 · ten
十（じゅう） · ten
Pre-N5 foundations · Group 3
Days and nature
日月火水木
Look for the centre of each shape.
Meanings and words to learn
- 日 · day; sun
日（ひ） · day; sun - 月 · month; moon
月（つき） · moon - 火 · fire
火（ひ） · fire - 水 · water
水（みず） · water - 木 · tree; wood
木（き） · tree
Pre-N5 foundations · Group 4
People and the world
人山川大小
Keep a balanced shape, even when you write small.
Meanings and words to learn
- 人 · person
人（ひと） · person - 山 · mountain
山（やま） · mountain - 川 · river
川（かわ） · river - 大 · big
大きい（おおきい） · big - 小 · small
小さい（ちいさい） · small
N5 next steps · Group 5
Nature and weather
金土天雨気
Leave space for the small strokes inside a shape.
Meanings and words to learn
- 金 · gold; money
お金（おかね） · money - 土 · earth; soil
土（つち） · soil - 天 · sky; heaven
天気（てんき） · weather - 雨 · rain
雨（あめ） · rain - 気 · spirit; air
元気（げんき） · well; energetic
N5 next steps · Group 6
Where things are
上下左右中
Compare similar shapes and the order of their strokes.
Meanings and words to learn
- 上 · up; above
上（うえ） · above - 下 · down; below
下（した） · below - 左 · left
左（ひだり） · left - 右 · right
右（みぎ） · right - 中 · middle
中（なか） · inside; middle
N5 next steps · Group 7
Before, after, and beyond
前後外東西
Keep the left and right parts in proportion.
Meanings and words to learn
- 前 · before; front
前（まえ） · in front - 後 · after; behind
後（あと） · after - 外 · outside
外（そと） · outside - 東 · east
東（ひがし） · east - 西 · west
西（にし） · west
N5 next steps · Group 8
Places and travel
南北国車電
Watch when an enclosure closes.
Meanings and words to learn
- 南 · south
南（みなみ） · south - 北 · north
北（きた） · north - 国 · country
国（くに） · country - 車 · car; vehicle
車（くるま） · car - 電 · electricity
電車（でんしゃ） · train
N5 next steps · Group 9
Bigger numbers and money
百千万円半
Connect number shapes to words you can read.
Meanings and words to learn
- 百 · hundred
百（ひゃく） · one hundred - 千 · thousand
千（せん） · one thousand - 万 · ten thousand
一万（いちまん） · ten thousand - 円 · yen; circle
百円（ひゃくえん） · one hundred yen - 半 · half
半分（はんぶん） · half
N5 next steps · Group 10
Telling the time
年時分午今
Notice how long and short strokes work together.
Meanings and words to learn
- 年 · year
年（とし） · year - 時 · time; hour
一時（いちじ） · one o’clock - 分 · part; minute
五分（ごふん） · five minutes - 午 · noon
午前（ごぜん） · morning; a.m. - 今 · now
今（いま） · now
N5 next steps · Group 11
Everyday learning
毎間生学校
Write the whole character in a steady sequence.
Meanings and words to learn
- 毎 · every
毎日（まいにち） · every day - 間 · interval; between
間（あいだ） · between - 生 · life; birth
学生（がくせい） · student - 学 · study; learning
学校（がっこう） · school - 校 · school
学校（がっこう） · school
N5 next steps · Group 12
Names, books, and language
先名語本書
Keep repeated horizontal strokes evenly spaced.
Meanings and words to learn
- 先 · ahead; previous
先生（せんせい） · teacher - 名 · name
名前（なまえ） · name - 語 · language; word
日本語（にほんご） · Japanese language - 本 · book; origin
本（ほん） · book - 書 · write
書く（かく） · to write
N5 next steps · Group 13
Read, listen, and eat
見聞話読食
Build up a more detailed character one stroke at a time.
Meanings and words to learn
- 見 · see
見る（みる） · to see - 聞 · hear; listen
聞く（きく） · to listen; to hear - 話 · talk; story
話す（はなす） · to speak - 読 · read
読む（よむ） · to read - 食 · eat; food
食べる（たべる） · to eat
N5 next steps · Group 14
Coming and going
行来入出休
Notice the direction of each sweeping stroke.
Meanings and words to learn
- 行 · go
行く（いく） · to go - 来 · come
来る（くる） · to come - 入 · enter
入る（はいる） · to enter - 出 · exit; leave
出る（でる） · to leave; to go out - 休 · rest
休む（やすむ） · to rest
N5 next steps · Group 15
People and family
父母男女子
Learn the shape together with a familiar word.
Meanings and words to learn
- 父 · father
父（ちち） · my father - 母 · mother
母（はは） · my mother - 男 · man; male
男（おとこ） · man - 女 · woman; female
女（おんな） · woman - 子 · child
子ども（こども） · child
N5 next steps · Group 16
Friends and descriptions
友何白高長
Return to these shapes from memory, then read the word.
Meanings and words to learn
- 友 · friend
友だち（ともだち） · friend - 何 · what
何（なに） · what - 白 · white
白い（しろい） · white - 高 · high; expensive
高い（たかい） · high; expensive - 長 · long
長い（ながい） · long
How to practise kanji without rushing
- 1. Connect the shape to a meaning. Read the example word before you begin. A kanji can have several readings; learn the reading used in this word first. For example, 学 appears in 学校（がっこう, school）and 学生（がくせい, student）.
- 2. Watch the whole character. Follow each stroke in order. Pause or slow the animation, then replay an individual stroke if a turn or hook is unclear. You can follow the numbered diagram with pen and paper too.
- 3. Trace, then reduce the help. Draw over the guide with a mouse, finger, or stylus. Move to starting dots, then recall the kanji from its meaning. A brief peek preserves your drawing and marks the attempt as helped.
- 4. Return to it later. A guided session introduces three characters and revisits the first from memory. Your writing progress shows when a character is ready for review. Independent recall is tracked separately from tracing.
Can I write smaller than the guide?
Yes. The check compares the whole shape at your size, keeping the relative placement of strokes. It also considers order and direction. Extremely small marks or unusual handwriting may be difficult to assess; feedback is approximate practice guidance, not a calligraphy grade.
Do I need to learn every reading at once?
No. Start with the word beside the writing square. Some kanji use different readings in different words, and compound words may change a sound. Read the complete kana reading supplied with the word instead of joining isolated readings together.
Is my writing saved, and can I practise offline?
Drawings, review dates, and progress are saved in this browser. Kanji and kana progress are separate. Open Your writing progress while connected and save your chosen level for offline practice. Clearing browser storage removes saved work. Your practice does not sync between devices.
Put your kanji into words and sentences
Hiragana and katakana writingNumbers and countingClock time and daily schedulesRead a Japanese story
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, under CC BY-SA 3.0. Curriculum, word readings, and practice hints selected for ReadNihongo beginners.