JLPT N4 Grammar List: Every Pattern You Need to Pass

JLPT N4 grammar roughly doubles what you learned at N5. Nevertheless, it builds on exactly the same foundation, so the jump is smaller than the pattern count suggests.

This list groups every JLPT N4 grammar pattern by what it does. Grouping by function is far easier to remember than an alphabetical list.

What changes between N5 and N4

Three things change. First, the plain form becomes essential. Second, conditionals appear. Third, you meet the beginnings of polite honorific language.

The plain form matters most. Because so many N4 patterns attach to it, you cannot postpone it. Review our verb conjugation guide before starting.

Conditionals

N4 introduces four ways to say "if". They overlap, although each has its own flavour.

• ~ba — general condition
• ~tara — the most flexible, common in speech
• ~nara — given that something is the case
• ~to — a natural or automatic result

Learn tara first, because it covers most everyday situations. Then add the others one at a time.

Giving and receiving

This group trips up many candidates. Ageru, kureru, and morau all involve a transfer, yet the direction differs. Moreover, they combine with the te form to describe doing something for someone.

Draw the direction with arrows when you study these. As a result, the pattern becomes visual rather than abstract.

Ability, intention and obligation

• ~koto ga dekiru — can do
• Potential verb forms — the shorter way to say the same thing
• ~tsumori — intend to
• ~you to omou — thinking of doing
• ~nakereba naranai — must do
• ~nakute mo ii — do not have to

Reporting and guessing

N4 adds ways to report what you heard and to hedge a statement. ~sou desu reports hearsay. ~you desu and ~rashii express appearance and likelihood. In contrast, ~kamo shirenai is a weaker guess.

These appear constantly in the listening section, so practise them by ear as well as on paper.

Passive and causative

Two harder forms arrive at N4. The passive says something was done to the subject. The causative says someone made or let another person act. Furthermore, the two combine into the causative passive, which is common in real speech.

Take these slowly. They are the most common reason candidates fail an otherwise comfortable N4.

A study order for the JLPT N4 grammar list

Weeks 1 to 3

Plain form until it is automatic. Nothing else.

Weeks 4 to 6

Conditionals and the giving and receiving set.

Weeks 7 to 9

Ability, intention, obligation, and the reporting patterns.

Weeks 10 to 12

Passive and causative, then timed practice.

How to practise JLPT N4 grammar

Write your own sentence for every pattern. Then review the ones you failed a week later. Our daily grammar quiz mixes N4 patterns so you cannot rely on the current chapter for context.

The full grammar library is sorted by JLPT level, and the official JLPT website publishes the exam scope. If N4 still feels distant, start with our N5 grammar guide instead.