Printable Japanese Flashcards for JLPT, Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana
The kana for words written in kanji, and romaji if you tick the box.
The first sheet of cards, as it prints.
Choose the cards and what goes on the front, and the cards appear here.
JLPT flashcards from N5 to N1
The JLPT word set comes from the vocabulary lists for N5 to N1 (OpenJLPT, with levels from Jonathan Waller's lists, CC BY-SA 4.0). That's 7,614 words: 657 at N5, 605 at N4, 1,602 at N3, 1,768 at N2 and 2,982 at N1. A word written in kanji shows its kana reading too, so 学校 comes with がっこう. Turn on “Romaji too” to add romaji, written the way learners type it on a keyboard, as in koohii.
Choose 12, 24, 48 or 96 cards, or All, which takes up to 500 at a time. Most common first keeps the list's frequency order. Shuffled mixes the cards, and “New cards” shuffles them again. If a word doesn't belong in this stack, its × button takes it off the list.
You can also type your own words in kana or kanji, one card per line. A line such as “ねこ = cat” gives the card your own English, in place of ours. A word that's on our JLPT list takes its reading and meaning from the list. Outside the list, a kana word gets romaji worked out from its spelling, and a kanji word gets no reading.
Kanji flashcards with kun and on readings
The kanji set has 2,211 kanji with JLPT levels: 79 at N5, 166 at N4, 367 at N3, 367 at N2 and 1,232 at N1. Their meanings and readings come from KANJIDIC2 (EDRDG). The kun readings are in hiragana, with the okurigana in parentheses, so 一 reads ひと(つ). Turn on “On readings too” to add the on readings in katakana, such as イチ.
If students need to write the kanji as well as read them, the Kanji Worksheet Generator makes stroke-order sheets.
Hiragana and katakana flashcards
The hiragana set has 71 cards: the 46 basic kana plus the 25 with dakuten and handakuten, such as が and ぱ. The katakana set has the same 71 plus ヴ, which makes 72. With the kana on the front, the romaji goes on the back. Switch the front to romaji, and students see “ka” and have to recall か.
Combined sounds such as きゃ and しゅ aren't in either set. You can type them in as your own words, and the romaji is worked out from the spelling.
To practice writing the kana, the Hiragana Worksheets and Katakana Worksheets print stroke-order sheets.
Choosing the front, the reading and the card size
The builder shows the first sheet of real cards and redraws it as you change the settings. The Fronts / Backs switch shows either side.
Front sets what students see first: the Japanese or the English (for kana, the romaji). The reading can go on the back, on the front or be left out.
Card size sets how many cards fit on a page. Large fits 6, Medium 8, Standard 12, Small 20 and Extra small 30.
On word and kanji cards, the level sits in a small label in the corner, on the side with the Japanese, such as N5. If two levels end up in one stack, the labels let you sort them again. Kana cards say Hiragana or Katakana there instead.
Printing Japanese flashcards double-sided or cut and fold
On the print page, choose A4 or US Letter, then how to print.
Double-sided prints a page of fronts, then a page of backs mirrored left to right. Print on both sides, flipping on the long edge, and each back lands behind its front. Printers differ, so print one sheet first and check it before you print the rest.
Cut and fold needs no double-sided printing. Each strip holds one card, with the word on one half and the answer on the other. Cut along the dashed lines and fold on the solid line. Fewer cards fit this way, from 3 to 7 on a page.
Give the sheets a title of your own if you like, then print them or save them as a PDF from your browser.
The sheets are free, with no signup and no watermark, and teachers may photocopy them for class. They print in black and white, with the NexaProva wordmark. We count page opens and prints (which card set, the paper, the card size, whether it's double-sided or cut and fold, how many cards and which side is the front), never which words are on the cards or the title you gave them.
For a game with the same vocabulary, the Japanese Word Search Maker hides JLPT words in a printable grid.
Frequently asked questions
Are these Japanese flashcards free?
Yes. There's no signup and no watermark, and teachers may photocopy the sheets for class. They print in black and white, with the NexaProva wordmark.
How do I make printable JLPT N5 flashcards?
Pick the JLPT word set and N5, which has 657 words. Choose 12, 24, 48 or 96 cards, or All, up to 500 at a time. Most common first keeps the list's frequency order, so the first cards are the words learners meet most. Then choose what goes on the front and a card size, and open the print page.
How do I get JLPT or kanji flashcards as a PDF?
On the print page, choose A4 or US Letter and double-sided or cut and fold. Then open your browser's print window and choose Save as PDF as the printer.
What's on a kanji flashcard?
The kanji on one side and its English meaning on the other, from KANJIDIC2. The kun readings are in hiragana, with okurigana in parentheses, as in ひと(つ), and they can go on either side or be left out. "On readings too" adds the on readings in katakana.
Do the hiragana flashcards include dakuten?
Yes. The hiragana set has 71 cards: the 46 basic kana and the 25 with dakuten and handakuten, such as が and ぱ. The katakana flashcards have the same 71 plus ヴ. Combined sounds such as きゃ aren't in either set.
How does double-sided printing work?
The print page puts a page of fronts, then a page of backs mirrored left to right. Print on both sides and flip on the long edge, and each back lands behind its front. Printers differ, so print one sheet first and check it before you print the rest.
Can I print the flashcards without a double-sided printer?
Yes. Choose Cut and fold. Each strip holds one card, with the word on one half and the answer on the other. Cut along the dashed lines and fold on the solid line. A page holds 3 to 7 cards this way.
Can I make flashcards from my own Japanese words?
Yes. Type them in kana or kanji, one card per line, and give a card your own English with a line such as "ねこ = cat". A word on our JLPT list takes its reading and meaning from the list, and your own English replaces ours. Outside the list, a kana word gets romaji worked out from its spelling and a kanji word gets no reading.
Why is the romaji koohii and not kōhī?
On word cards, the romaji is written the way learners type Japanese on a keyboard, as in koohii, with no macrons. It uses only the letters on a standard keyboard.
Licenses and credits
The words and their JLPT levels come from OpenJLPT (CC BY-SA 4.0), which takes its levels from Jonathan Waller's JLPT lists. The kanji readings and meanings come from KANJIDIC2 and the words from JMdict, both from the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group and used under its licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). The English meanings are shown in US spelling.