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List: Core Japanese words

This is arguably the list of the most important words that any beginner student should begin learning. This list is inspired from the content in https://www.fluentin3months.com/core-japanese-words/

List: Core Japanese words

Description: This is arguably the list of the most important words that any beginner student should begin learning. This list is inspired from the content in https://www.fluentin3months.com/core-japanese-words/
Visibility: Public
Owner: fr3nd
Number of entries: 117
Contains: Words
Creation date: 7 Jun 2022, 7:34 p.m.
Last updated: 18 Nov 2025, 7:11 p.m.

Showing 51 - 60 of 117 words for the list Core Japanese words.

お手洗いおてあらいotearai

Wordpopular search-only kanji form JLPT N5 noun noun (generic)

toilet, restroom, lavatory, bathroom

家いえie

Wordpopular JLPT N5 noun noun (generic)

house, residence, dwelling
family, household
lineage, family name

店みせmise

Wordpopular rarely used kanji form JLPT N5 noun noun (generic)

store, shop, establishment, restaurant

為るするsuru

Wordpopular rarely used kanji form JLPT N5 usually written using kana alone suru verb verb (generic) intransitive verb transitive verb suffix auxiliary verb

to do, to carry out, to perform
to cause to become, to make (into), to turn (into)
to serve as, to act as, to work as
to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
to judge as being, to view as being, to think of as, to treat as, to use as
to decide on, to choose
to be sensed (of a smell, noise, etc.)
to be (in a state, condition, etc.)
to be worth, to cost
to pass (of time), to elapse
to place, or raise, person A to a post or status B
to transform A to B, to make A into B, to exchange A for B
to make use of A for B, to view A as B, to handle A as if it were B
to feel A about B
verbalizing suffix (applies to nouns noted in this dictionary with the part of speech "vs")
creates a humble verb (after a noun prefixed with "o" or "go")
to be just about to, to be just starting to, to try to, to attempt to

ですdesu

Wordpopular polite language copula auxiliary verb verb (generic)

be, is

成るなるnaru

Wordpopular rarely used kanji form JLPT N5 usually written using kana alone godan verb godan verb (archaic) verb (generic) intransitive verb shogi honorific language auxiliary verb

to become, to get, to grow, to turn, to reach, to attain
to result in, to turn out, to end up, to prove (to be)
to consist of, to be composed of, to be made up of
to be completed, to be realized, to succeed, to be attained, to be accomplished
to change (into), to turn (into), to transform
to come (to do), to begin (to do), to grow (to do)
to come to, to amount to, to add up to, to make
to play (the part of), to act as
to be used for, to be useful for, to serve as
to be promoted
to do ...

有るあるaru

Wordpopular JLPT N5 usually written using kana alone godan verb godan verb (archaic) verb (generic) intransitive verb auxiliary verb

to be, to exist, to live
to have
to be located
to be equipped with
to happen, to come about
to exist (in a completed state), to be (something unchanged in its current state)

居るおるoru

Wordpopular JLPT N3 usually written using kana alone humble language godan verb godan verb (archaic) verb (generic) intransitive verb auxiliary verb

to be (animate), to be, to exist
to be ...-ing
to (have the audacity to) do

言ういうiu

Wordpopular rarely used kanji form JLPT N5 godan verb godan verb (archaic) verb (generic) transitive verb intransitive verb

to say, to utter, to declare
to name, to call
to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"), to make a noise

行くいくiku

Wordpopular search-only kana form rarely used kanji form JLPT N5 godan verb godan verb (archaic) verb (generic) intransitive verb usually written using kana alone auxiliary verb colloquial slang

to go, to move (towards), to head (towards), to leave (for)
to move through, to travel across, to walk along (e.g. a road)
to go (well, badly, etc.), to proceed, to turn out, to get along
to do (in a particular way), to go (with; a choice), to try
to pass (of time, seasons, etc.), to go by
to stream, to flow
to die, to pass away
to reach (a stage, extent, age, etc.), to get to, to go (so far as ...)
to reach (of information, instructions, wind, etc.), to arrive
to continue ..., to go on ..., to (progress) steadily, to gradually ..., to progressively ...
to have an orgasm, to come, to cum
to trip, to get high, to have a drug-induced hallucination

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List: Core Japanese words

List: Core Japanese words