If you are studying Japanese, you probably practice from textbooks and apps. If you are in Japan, or planning to go, there is another source of material: the signs, boards, and notices you pass every day. They are short, repetitive, and tied to real needs, which makes them excellent practice.
A small set of kanji covers a large share of what you see in public places. Learning those first has a practical payoff long before you reach a high JLPT level.
Station and transport vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 駅 | えき | station |
| 出口 | でぐち | exit |
| 入口 | いりぐち | entrance |
| 乗り場 | のりば | boarding area |
| 乗り換え | のりかえ | transfer |
| 方面 | ほうめん | direction / toward |
| 東・西・南・北 | ひがし・にし・みなみ・きた | east, west, south, north |
| 次 | つぎ | next |
| 急行 | きゅうこう | express |
| 普通 | ふつう | local (regular) |
On a station board, expect to see a train type (急行, 普通), a destination, and a platform number together. Reading those three pieces is often enough to catch the right train.
Store and building notices
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 営業中 | えいぎょうちゅう | open for business |
| 準備中 | じゅんびちゅう | getting ready (closed for now) |
| 定休日 | ていきゅうび | regular closing day |
| 禁煙 | きんえん | no smoking |
| 禁止 | きんし | prohibited |
| 無料 | むりょう | free of charge |
| 割引 | わりびき | discount |
| 会計 | かいけい | checkout / bill |
| 立入禁止 | たちいりきんし | no entry |
| 非常口 | ひじょうぐち | emergency exit |
Notice how 禁 (prohibit) and 無 (without) appear in many compounds. Knowing the parts lets you guess unfamiliar notices, the same skill described in how to guess unknown words in JLPT reading.
Restaurant and shopping
- 定食 (ていしょく): set meal
- 大盛り (おおもり): large portion
- 持ち帰り (もちかえり): takeout
- 税込 (ぜいこみ): tax included
- 売り切れ (うりきれ): sold out
Katakana everywhere
A lot of signage uses katakana: トイレ, エレベーター, エスカレーター, コンビニ, レジ. If katakana is still slow for you, the katakana loanwords guide shows the sound patterns that make them quick to decode.
A daily practice routine
- Pick one place. Your commute, the nearest convenience store, or your building lobby.
- Read three things a day. Try to read each word aloud before you check the meaning.
- Photograph what you cannot read. Look it up later and add it to your review deck.
- Review on a schedule. Real-world vocabulary sticks better when it is also reviewed with spaced repetition.
This kind of immersion is part of what makes learning in Japan effective; more ideas are in learning Japanese while living in Japan. If you are not in Japan, you can still use photos, maps, and online listings of train stations and shops.
Why this helps for the JLPT
The JLPT includes reading items based on notices, signs, schedules, and short practical documents, especially at N5, N4, and N3. The skill you need is not full comprehension of every word, but finding the key information: a time, a place, a condition. Practice with real signs trains exactly that, and so does reading extensively at the right level; see extensive reading in Japanese.
What to do when you cannot read something
- Use the kanji you know. Even one familiar character narrows the meaning.
- Look for numbers and symbols. Times, prices, and arrows give strong clues.
- Ask or use a translation app for safety-related signs. For anything involving safety, do not guess.
Keep going
Daily-life reading connects your study to the world around you, and the vocabulary you pick up is vocabulary you will use. For a structured plan that fits it in, the JLPT preparation guide lays out each level and section. JLPT Ready covers grammar, vocabulary, kanji, listening, and full timed mock exams for all five levels, and the app works in English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. You can start free with N5, no card required.