Back to Blog

JLPT N4 School & Work Vocabulary: 54 Essential Words (2026)

Complete JLPT N4 school and work vocabulary — study, language, school life, and office terms with readings and example sentences.

Posted by

JLPT N4 school and work vocabulary is the largest N4 category — 54 essential words covering study habits, language learning terms, school life, and office vocabulary. This guide covers 40 of the most useful words, organized by theme, with the full 54-word deck available for import.

This article is part of our JLPT N4 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 54 words with the N4 School & Work deck in Onigiri Anki.

Study & Preparation (10)

These words describe the process of studying — preparing, reviewing, and practicing — core vocabulary for any N4 discussion of academic life.

plan / schedule予定yotei

来週の予定を教えてください。Please tell me next week's schedule.

preparation準備junbi

旅行の準備をしています。I am preparing for the trip.

explanation説明setsumei

もう一度説明してください。Please explain it one more time.

lecture講義kougi

今日の講義はやさしかったです。Today's lecture was easy.

research研究kenkyuu

大学で研究をしています。I am doing research at the university.

education教育kyouiku

教育は子どもに大切です。Education is important for children.

preparation for a lesson予習yoshuu

明日の授業の予習をします。I will do preparation for tomorrow's class.

review (of lessons)復習fukushuu

毎晩、復習をします。I review my lessons every night.

grades成績seiseki

今学期の成績はいいです。My grades are good this semester.

practice練習renshuu

毎日ピアノを練習します。I practice piano every day.

Language & Writing (10)

Since the JLPT tests Japanese itself, vocabulary about language learning — grammar, pronunciation, kanji — appears constantly in N4 materials.

textbook教科書kyoukasho

新しい教科書を買いました。I bought a new textbook.

grammar文法bunpou

この文法はむずかしいです。This grammar is difficult.

pronunciation発音hatsuon

私の発音はよくないです。My pronunciation is not good.

conversation会話kaiwa

友だちと会話をしました。I had a conversation with my friend.

essay / composition作文sakubun

きのう作文を書きました。I wrote an essay yesterday.

kanji漢字kanji

私は漢字をたくさん読めます。I can read many kanji.

hiragana平仮名hiragana

名前を平仮名で書いてください。Please write your name in hiragana.

katakana片仮名katakana

この言葉は片仮名で書いてください。Please write this word in katakana.

character / handwritingji

この字は書くのがむずかしいです。This character is hard to write.

answer答えkotae

答えがわかりません。I don't know the answer.

School Life (10)

From elementary school to studying abroad, this vocabulary covers the full arc of Japanese education.

elementary school小学校shougakkou

娘は小学校に通っています。My daughter goes to elementary school.

junior high school中学校chuugakkou

弟は中学校に通っています。My brother is in junior high school.

high school高校koukou

息子は高校に通っています。My son goes to high school.

mathematics数学suugaku

私は数学が好きです。I like mathematics.

history歴史rekishi

学校で歴史を習いました。I studied history at school.

school admission入学nyuugaku

妹はこの学校に入学しました。My sister entered this school.

graduation卒業sotsugyou

去年、この学校を卒業しました。I graduated from this school last year.

specialty / major専門senmon

私の専門は英語です。My specialty is English.

studying abroad留学ryuugaku

彼はカナダへ留学しています。He is studying abroad in Canada.

blackboard黒板kokuban

先生は黒板に答えを書きました。The teacher wrote the answer on the blackboard.

Work & Office (10)

N4 introduces basic workplace vocabulary — meetings, attendance, salary — essential for understanding Japanese work culture.

meeting会議kaigi

会議は三時からです。The meeting starts at three.

contact連絡renraku

後で連絡します。I will contact you later.

part-time jobアルバイトarubaito

兄はコンビニでアルバイトをしています。My brother has a part-time job at a convenience store.

office事務所jimusho

私の事務所は二階にあります。My office is on the second floor.

business card名刺meishi

私は店長に名刺を渡しました。I gave my business card to the manager.

attendance出席shusseki

今日の出席をお願いします。Please check my attendance today.

absence欠席kesseki

きのう、学校を欠席しました。I was absent from school yesterday.

being late遅刻chikoku

電車に遅刻しました。I was late for the train.

salary給料kyuuryou

今月、給料が上がりました。My salary increased this month.

plan計画keikaku

来週の計画を立てました。We made a plan for next week.

予習 vs 復習: Before and After

予習 (yoshuu, preparation/preview) happens before class — reading ahead. 復習 (fukushuu, review) happens after class — reviewing what you learned. Both words use 習 (narau, to learn), with 予 (yo, beforehand) and 復 (fuku, again) as the distinguishing prefixes — a useful pattern for guessing related N4 kanji compounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 出席 and 欠席?

出席 (shusseki) means attendance/being present. 欠席 (kesseki) means absence. Both are common in N4 reading passages about school and work schedules.

Is アルバイト the same as 仕事?

アルバイト (arubaito, from German "Arbeit") specifically means a part-time or casual job, often for students. 仕事 (shigoto) is the general word for job/work, covering both full-time and part-time positions.

Practice All 54 N4 School & Work Words

Import the N4 School & Work deck into Onigiri Anki and master academic and workplace vocabulary with spaced repetition.