N5 · UNIT 12

Review + Mock Exam そうふくしゅう

Consolidate all of N5, a guided review of every system you've built, then a 20-question mock exam in JLPT format.

About this unit

The summit of N5. No new grammar here, instead, a guided review of the particle map and the verb engine, then a 20-question mock exam in real JLPT format. Pass it and you haven't just finished twelve units; you've finished a level.

The particle map, は・が・を・に・で・へ・の・も・と・から・よりThe verb engine, ます⇄plain⇄てThe adjective engine, い vs なQuestion-word toolkit, 何・だれ・どこ・いつ・どれ・どの・どちら・いくら・どうして・どんな

語彙 · Vocabulary 20 words · 0 kanji

Read the words 語彙

Read straight down the list once, out loud if you can. Don't grind them here, the Anki deck at the bottom does the memorizing. Right now you only want the shapes and sounds to feel familiar.

Word	Reading	Meaning
問題	もんだい	question (on a test); problem
質問	しつもん	question (that you ask someone)
答え	こたえ	answer
答えます	こたえます	to answer
テスト	テスト	test
試験	しけん	exam
合格	ごうかく	passing (an exam)
不合格	ふごうかく	failing (an exam)
点	てん	point; score
ページ	ページ	page
言葉	ことば	word; language
意味	いみ	meaning
例	れい	example
丸	まる	circle; correct mark (○)
ばつ	ばつ	X mark; wrong mark (×)
始めます	はじめます	to begin (something)
終わります	おわります	to end; to finish
時間	じかん	time
もう一度	もういちど	one more time
頑張ります	がんばります	to do one's best

Learn the kanji 漢字

The 0 kanji for this unit. Tap any card to flip between its meaning and its readings, and say the reading aloud as it flips.

Read it in context 会話

Everything above, working together. Read the conversation top to bottom, out loud. Every line is built only from words and kanji you have already met, so resist the English, tap a word only if you are truly stuck.

Show English

The night before the mock exam, Yamada-sensei holds one last review session. Maria is nervous, Mr. Tanaka has other ideas.

やまだせんせい

あしたはテストです。きょうは、みんなでふくしゅうをします。

Tomorrow is the test. Today we'll review together.

マリア

せんせい、私はとてもしんぱいです。もんだいがむずかしいですから…

Sensei, I'm really worried. Because the questions are difficult...

やまだせんせい

だいじょうぶですよ。マリアさんは毎日よくべんきょうしましたね。

You'll be fine. You studied hard every day, didn't you?

マリア

はい。でも、かんじがあまり好きじゃありません。

Yes. But I don't like kanji very much.

たなか

マリアさんは私よりかんじが上手ですよ。

Maria, you're better at kanji than I am!

やまだせんせい

しけんの前のよるは、よくねてください。あさごはんも食べてくださいね。

The night before the exam, sleep well. And eat breakfast, okay?

マリア

わかりました。きょうのよるは、うちでもういちどことばをふくしゅうします。

Got it. Tonight I'll review the vocabulary one more time at home.

たなか

マリアさん、だいじょうぶ！がんばってください！

Maria, you've got this! Good luck!

マリア

はい、がんばります！

Yes, I'll do my best!

Notice: how much of the course fits in one small conversation, ですから (reasons, Unit 7), しましたね (past tense + ね, Unit 5), 私より上手 (comparisons, Unit 11), ねてください (て-form requests, Unit 8). If this dialogue reads easily, you are more ready than you think.

Stop, learn the vocabulary before the grammar

These units are short on purpose. The grammar only clicks when the words are already automatic, so front-load the deck here, and let spaced repetition do the memorizing while the lesson does the teaching.

Import this unit's deck. Generate it with npm run content:deck, then import n5-unit12-deck.apkg into Anki or Migaku. (SRS connection status lives on your dashboard.)
Learn all 20 words as new cards. Get through the whole deck in a sitting or two, you're aiming for recognition, not mastery yet.
Review daily until every card reaches a 3–5 day interval. When the whole deck has settled at that spacing, the words are holding on their own and won't fight you during the grammar.
Then come back. You'll read the patterns instead of decoding the words, and that's when a "small" unit actually soaks in.

Anki open with AnkiConnect? I can confirm the deck for you.

I've learned this unit's vocabulary deck to a 3 to 5 day review interval.

Tick the box above once the deck is soaking in, then the grammar unlocks.

文法 · Grammar 4 patterns

Take one pattern at a time. Read the rule, then read each example out loud until the shape feels obvious. The words should already be automatic from your deck, so all you are learning here is how they lock together.

Quick suggestion: write these patterns down by hand as you read them. It is the one habit that textbook learners and self-taught immersion learners both swear by, and a notebook is the cheapest memory upgrade there is. Not required, just recommended.

The particle map, は・が・を・に・で・へ・の・も・と・から・より

One label per box: は topic, が subject in the spotlight, を direct object, に time・destination・place of existence, で place of action, へ direction, の possession, も also, と and・together with, から from・because, より than.

私は七時に家で友だちとあさごはんを食べます。

At seven, I eat breakfast at home with my friend. (は・に・で・と・を, all in one sentence)

田中さんも駅から学校へ行きます。バスより電車のほうが早いですから。

Mr. Tanaka also goes from the station to school. Because the train is faster than the bus. (も・から・へ・より・の)

Note: Eleven particles, one job each. When a sentence feels wrong, don't guess, ask which box each word is in, then check the label.

The verb engine, ます⇄plain⇄て

Every N5 verb runs on one grid: polite ます／ません／ました／ませんでした, plain る／ない／た／なかった, and the て-form that connects requests, permission, and ongoing actions.

食べます・食べません・食べました・食べませんでした。

Polite: eat / don't eat / ate / didn't eat.

食べる・食べない・食べた・食べなかった・食べて。

Plain: eat / don't eat / ate / didn't eat, and the て-form that powers 食べてください and 食べています.

Note: Run any verb through all nine forms out loud. If たべる works, every ru-verb works, the grid never changes, only the stem.

The adjective engine, い vs な

い-adjectives conjugate their own tail (高い→高くない→高かった→高くなかった); な-adjectives stay still and let です do the work (しずかです→しずかじゃありません→しずかでした). とても strengthens; あまり + negative weakens.

この本は高かったですが、あまり新しくないです。

This book was expensive, but it's not very new.

駅の前はとてもにぎやかでした。でも、今はにぎやかじゃありません。

The area in front of the station was very lively. But now it isn't.

Note: 高いでした ✗, still the classic mix-up. The past of 高いです is 高かったです; only な-adjectives get でした.

Question-word toolkit, 何・だれ・どこ・いつ・どれ・どの・どちら・いくら・どうして・どんな

何 what, だれ who, どこ where, いつ when, どれ which one, どの＋noun which ~, どちら which of two, いくら how much, どうして why, どんな what kind of. Answer by swapping the question word for the answer, nothing else moves.

「これは何ですか。」「だれのですか。」「どこで買いましたか。」「いつ買いましたか。」「いくらでしたか。」

What is this? Whose is it? Where did you buy it? When did you buy it? How much was it?

「どれがマリアさんの本ですか。」「どの電車で行きますか。」「犬とねこと、どちらが好きですか。」「どうしてですか。」「どんな人ですか。」

Which one is Maria's book? Which train do you take? Dogs or cats, which do you like? Why? What kind of person are they?

Note: どれ stands alone; どの must hold a noun's hand (どの本). On the JLPT, spotting the question word first tells you what kind of answer to hunt for.

文化 · Culture note

A short read on the world these words live in. Nothing to drill here, just the context that makes the grammar feel like something people actually say.

The JLPT, Test Day & the Road to N4 日本語のうりょくしけん

The real JLPT N5 is held twice a year in most countries, in July and December. Test day has three sections: Language Knowledge (vocabulary, about 20 minutes), Language Knowledge (grammar) plus Reading (about 40 minutes), and Listening (about 30 minutes). Everything is multiple choice, marked in pencil on an answer sheet, there is no writing section, no speaking section, and no partial credit. You can't lose points for guessing, so never leave a bubble blank.

ごうかく (passing) works on scaled scores: your raw answers are converted so results are comparable across different test sittings. N5 is scored out of 180, and you pass with 80 or more, but there are also sectional minimums, so you can't ace grammar and completely skip listening. This is why balanced review beats cramming one skill.

Mock exams matter because the JLPT tests pacing as much as knowledge. Sitting a full set of questions with a clock running teaches you to skip a hard item and come back, to trust your first reading of a particle, and to stay calm when a word looks unfamiliar. Every point of grammar in this exam is one you have already studied, and everything at N4 is built directly on top of it. This isn't the end of the road; it's the first milestone marker on it.

Try it: Take this unit's mock exam in one sitting, with a timer and no notes. The score matters less than the rehearsal, on real test day, you'll have done all of this before.

練習 · Worksheet 8 exercises

A mixed review of Units 1–11. Type each missing word in hiragana, then check your answers.

（1）つくえの上にねこ（　　）います。, “There is a cat on the desk.” (Unit 4)

（2）りんごを（　　　）買いました。, “I bought THREE apples.” (counter, Unit 4)

（3）きのうはコーヒーを（　　　　　　　）。, “I did NOT drink coffee yesterday.” (Unit 5)

（4）もういちど（　　　）ください。, “Please WRITE it one more time.” (Unit 8)

（5）きのうのテストは（　　　　　　）です。, “Yesterday's test WAS difficult.” (Unit 6)

（6）電車はバス（　　）早いです。, “Trains are faster THAN buses.” (Unit 11)

（7）あしたはたぶん雨がふる（　　　　　　）。, “I think it will probably rain tomorrow.” (Unit 10)

（8）ここでしゃしんをとって（　　）いいですか。, “May I take a photo here?” (Unit 9)

Check your answers to continue, it doesn't matter how many you miss.

Unit Quiz JLPT FORMAT

Pass mark 80% · instant explanations · passing unlocks the next unit