LavaJapanese · N5 → N4

Start N4 Japanese: a bridge from N5

Build on N5 with 20 grammar lessons, 10 original readings, 250 practice questions and a seven-session course.

What this bridge covers

Practise ability, intentions, schedules, giving and receiving help, conditions, reasons and longer noun descriptions. Each of the 20 grammar lessons has 10 questions; each of the 10 readings has five. This is a foundation bridge, not a complete N4 syllabus, official mock examination or listening course.

Choose where to start

If て, た and ない forms are uncertain, use the N5 transition guide. For a sequence combining grammar and reading, follow the seven-session course. You can also open any grammar lesson or reading below without joining the course.

Read, answer and review

Read the Japanese first. Readings hide the translation until you choose to open it. Answer the questions, then find the Japanese evidence in the explanation. A graded answer uses the existing learning history and review schedule. You can begin in this browser without an account, and use the existing sync feature after signing in.

After the seven sessions

The core course uses 110 questions: 102 of the new 250 plus eight existing N5 checks. Completion means these core questions currently have correct answers in your history. It does not mean all 250 are complete. Continue with the remaining grammar questions and the parcel, festival and trip readings, alongside due reviews.

Seven-session bridge course

1. Check your N5 foundations
Check particles, adjectives, て, た and ない forms before continuing.
Questions: 8
2. Say what you can do
Use potential forms and ことができる in a bicycle rental notice.
Questions: 13
3. Intentions, schedules and decisions
Connect volitional forms, つもり, 予定 and ことにする to the weekend class.
Questions: 20
4. Follow the direction of help
Identify who acts and who benefits with あげる, くれる and もらう.
Questions: 17
5. Read conditions and rules
Compare たら, ば, なら and と in library study room rules.
Questions: 17
6. Explain reasons and report words
Use ので, ながら, と思う and と言う in a café shift note.
Questions: 17
7. Understand longer noun phrases
Read noun descriptions and の / こと in cooking and reading club texts.
Questions: 18

20 grammar themes · 10 questions each

Potential form: 読める and 食べられる

Distinguish doing an action from being able to do it. Practise verb groups and the exceptions する and 来る.

ことができる: ability and possibility

Use the dictionary form + ことができる. Compare this with a noun directly followed by ができる.

Volitional form: invitations and resolve

Form a casual invitation or personal resolve. Compare it with the polite invitation ましょう.

ようと思う: expressing an intention

Attach と思う to the volitional form. Distinguish intention from an opinion or prediction using a dictionary form.

つもりだ: plans and intentions

Use dictionary or ない forms before つもり. Compare a personal intention with a scheduled event.

予定だ: scheduled events

Attach 予定 to a dictionary form or noun + の. Focus on a schedule rather than a wish.

ことにする: making a decision

Use dictionary or ない forms to express a decision. Compare with something being decided through ことになる.

てあげる: doing something for someone

Describe an action done for someone else. Identify the person acting and the person benefiting.

てくれる: someone does something for us

Describe help directed towards you or your side. Compare the direction with あげる.

てもらう: the recipient’s point of view

Make the recipient the topic. Identify the person doing the action before に.

たら: conditions and what happens next

Form conditions with た form + ら. Check adjective and noun forms, and distinguish hypothetical conditions from sequence.

ば: forming a condition

Practise ば forms for verbs and い adjectives. Some contexts do not allow a simple replacement with たら.

なら: advice based on a premise

Respond to a plan or premise. Unlike some uses of たら, it does not necessarily mean after an event is finished.

と: regular results and how things work

Use conditional と for regular results, directions and mechanisms. Distinguish it from quotation と.

ので: explaining a reason

Connect verbs and い adjectives in plain form; nouns and な adjectives take な before ので.

ながら: two actions at the same time

Attach ながら to the ます stem. The main action usually follows it.

Noun modification: descriptions before nouns

Place a plain-form clause before a noun. Identify the central noun and the tense of its description.

と思う: opinions and predictions

Use plain forms before と思う. Positive nonpast nouns and な adjectives need だ.

と言う and という: quoting and naming

Use と for reported speech and という before a noun for a name. Separate direct quotation from plain-form reports.

の and こと: turning actions into nouns

Use の or こと to treat a verb phrase as a noun. Check fixed expressions as well as overlapping uses.

10 original readings · 5 questions each

1. Bicycle rental: conditions and return time

Read the rental and reservation rules, including why an afternoon rental may be unavailable.

2. Weekend Japanese class: plans and registration

Distinguish the writer’s personal study plans from the actual class schedule.

3. Help with photos: who did what?

Follow あげる, くれる and もらう to identify each person’s action.

4. Library study room: reservations and entry

Read conditions to distinguish who can book, when the room is available and what to do on arrival.

5. Café shift note: menu changes and tasks

Use reasons and quotations to follow customer guidance, stock handling and the shift change.

6. Cooking class note: tasks and things to bring

Follow ながら and noun modifiers to identify tasks and their order.

7. Parcel message: receiving and redelivery

Use quotations and favour expressions to find who receives the parcel and when redelivery happens.

8. Festival volunteers: weather changes

Read 予定, なら and たら to distinguish meeting points, work locations and roles.

9. Reading club invitation: which book to bring

Use noun modifiers, の and こと to understand participation rules and the order of activities.

10. Trip change email: plans, decisions and predictions

Combine grammar to find the new departure time, order of visits and reasons for changes.

Continue with your learning history

Use the course and today’s learning for your next questions and reviews. Start without an account; sign in to use the existing history sync on other devices.

Start or continue the seven-session course Today’s learning and reviews N5 everyday readings

Level and grammar references

Level descriptions refer to the official JLPT guide; grammar usage refers to the Japan Foundation’s Irodori notes. JLPT · Irodori

Examples, readings and questions are original LavaJapanese learning materials.