Rather than a raw list of grammar points to memorize in isolation, it helps to check your N5 prep by category — grouped by what each set of grammar actually lets you communicate. If you can confidently do everything in each category below, you've covered the core of what N5 tests.
Basic sentence structure
- Forming simple statements, questions, and negatives with です/ます forms
- Using particles は, が, を, に, で, と, も correctly in basic sentences
- Connecting nouns and describing them with adjectives (い-adjectives and な-adjectives)
Verb forms
- Present, past, and negative forms of ます-style verbs
- て-form and its basic uses (connecting actions, requesting with ください)
- ない-form (plain negative) and its common uses
Describing and comparing
- Basic comparison patterns (より, ほう が)
- Expressing ability or possibility in simple terms
- Describing location and existence (あります／います)
Time, sequence, and reason
- Expressing "before/after" doing something
- Simple reason/cause patterns (から)
- Expressing plans or intentions in basic terms
Requests, permission, and suggestions
- Making polite requests (て ください)
- Asking for or giving permission (てもいいです)
- Making simple suggestions (ましょう)
How to use this checklist
Go through each category and try producing a sentence from memory, not just recognizing one when shown — production is a stronger test of whether you've internalized a pattern than recognition alone. If a category feels shaky, that's a better use of remaining study time than reviewing categories you're already confident in.
A common gap
Learners often cover individual grammar points well but struggle when two patterns combine in a single sentence (e.g., a te-form request combined with a reason clause) — which is exactly how N5 reading and listening passages present grammar, not as isolated examples. Once each category feels solid individually, practice reading or listening to sentences that combine multiple patterns at once.
The practical takeaway
Use this list as a diagnostic, not a study order — identify the 1-2 categories that feel weakest and prioritize those in your remaining prep time, rather than reviewing everything evenly regardless of where you actually stand.