JLPT N5 people and family vocabulary covers 46 essential words — pronouns, family terms, occupations, and social roles. Family vocabulary is notoriously tricky because Japanese has two sets of terms: humble forms (父, 母) for your own family and respectful forms (お父さん, お母さん) when talking about others' families. This guide covers both sets clearly.

This article is part of our JLPT N5 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 46 words with the N5 People & Family deck in Onigiri Anki.

Pronouns & Basic People (8)

Japanese pronouns are used less frequently than in English, but these are essential for the N5 exam.

I / me私watashi

私は学生です。 — I am a student.

youあなたanata

あなたは学生ですか。 — Are you a student?

he彼kare

彼は私の友達です。 — He is my friend.

she彼女kanojo

彼女は先生です。 — She is a teacher.

everyone皆さんminasan

皆さんはここです。 — Everyone is here.

person人hito

あの人は先生です。 — That person is a teacher.

man男otoko

あの男は親切です。 — That man is kind.

woman女onna

あの女は先生です。 — That woman is a teacher.

Family Members (12)

Learn both the humble form (for your own family) and the polite form (for others' families). Both appear on the N5.

family家族kazoku

家族は一緒に晩ごはんを食べます。 — My family eats dinner together.

father (one's own)父chichi

父は親切です。 — My father is kind.

mother (one's own)母haha

母は夕ごはんを作ります。 — My mother makes dinner.

father (polite)お父さんotousan

お父さんは家にいます。 — My father is at home.

mother (polite)お母さんokaasan

お母さんは笑っています。 — My mother is smiling.

older brother (own)兄ani

兄は日本語を勉強します。 — My older brother studies Japanese.

older sister (own)姉ane

姉は音楽が好きです。 — My older sister likes music.

younger brother弟otouto

弟はサッカーをします。 — My younger brother plays soccer.

younger sister妹imouto

妹は本を読んでいます。 — My younger sister is reading a book.

grandfatherおじいさんojiisan

おじいさんは新聞を読みます。 — My grandfather reads a newspaper.

grandmotherおばあさんobaasan

おばあさんはお茶を入れます。 — My grandmother makes tea.

child子供kodomo

子供は寝ています。 — The child is sleeping.

Occupations (8)

Job vocabulary appears in N5 listening passages — "what does this person do?" is a common question type.

teacher先生sensei

田中先生はやさしいです。 — Mr. Tanaka is a kind teacher.

doctor医者isha

医者は忙しいです。 — The doctor is busy.

student学生gakusei

私は学生です。 — I am a student.

company employee会社員kaishain

父は会社員です。 — My father is a company employee.

international student留学生ryuugakusei

彼女は留学生です。 — She is an international student.

police officerお巡りさんomawarisan

お巡りさんは親切です。 — The police officer is kind.

boy男の子otokonoko

男の子は公園で遊んでいます。 — The boy is playing in the park.

girl女の子onnanoko

あの女の子は本を読んでいます。 — That girl is reading a book.

Social Roles & Counting People (6)

Note that 一人 (alone) and 二人 (two people) use special readings — not いちにん/ふたにん.

friend友達tomodachi

友達と映画を見ます。 — I watch movies with my friend.

name名前namae

名前は何ですか。 — What is your name?

adult大人otona

大人はここに入れます。 — Adults can enter here.

foreigner外国人gaikokujin

あの外国人は日本語を話します。 — That foreigner speaks Japanese.

one person / alone一人hitori

一人で住んでいます。 — I live alone.

two people二人futari

私たちは二人です。 — We are two people.

The Two-System Family Vocabulary Explained

Japanese family vocabulary has two registers. Understanding which to use is a key N5 grammar point:

Humble forms (for your own family): 父 (chichi), 母 (haha), 兄 (ani), 姉 (ane), 弟 (otouto), 妹 (imouto).
Respectful forms (for others' families): お父さん (otousan), お母さん (okaasan), お兄さん (oniisan), お姉さん (oneesan).
Neutral terms like 家族 (kazoku) and 子供 (kodomo) can be used for any family.
On the N5 exam, reading passages often describe someone talking about their own family (humble forms) or asking about someone else's (respectful forms).

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I use 私 vs あなた?

私 (watashi) is the standard first-person pronoun. あなた (anata) means "you" but is avoided in polite speech — the person's name or title is used instead. On the N5, both appear in dialogues.

Why does Japanese have two words for "father"?

父 (chichi) is the humble form used when talking about your own father. お父さん (otousan) is the respectful form used for someone else's father, or when children address their own father directly. The N5 tests both.

Practice All 46 N5 People & Family Words

Import the N5 People & Family deck into Onigiri Anki and master the two-register family vocabulary system with spaced repetition.

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JLPT N5 People & Family Vocabulary: 46 Essential Words (2026)