N4 vs N5: What Actually Changes?
The jump from N5 to N4 in kanji, grammar and listening — and how to prepare for it.
October 4, 2026
1 min read
961 views
Written by Yuki TanakaRafiq Ahmed
N4 roughly doubles the vocabulary and triples the kanji of N5. The biggest new challenge is verb forms: potential, volitional and conditional.
- Kanji: ~100 → ~300
- Vocabulary: ~800 → ~1,500
- Listening: longer, more natural conversations