At N5, familiar words become easier to choose when you read the whole phrase rather than an isolated translation.

The idea

Find the noun and its particle, then try each verb in the sentence. パンを食べます means eating bread; 水を飲みます means drinking water. Check both the meaning and the combination of words.

Patterns to compare
PhraseContinuation
パンを食たべます
手紙てがみを書かきます
水みずを飲のみます
電車でんしゃに乗のります

Examples

  • パンを食たべます。I eat bread.
  • 水みずを飲のみます。I drink water.
  • 本ほんを読よみます。I read a book.
  • 手紙てがみを書かきます。I write a letter.
  • 電車でんしゃで東京とうきょうに行いきます。I go to Tokyo by train.
  • 駅えきで切符きっぷを買かいます。I buy a ticket at the station.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

A familiar verb can still be wrong for the surrounding words. These are original practice questions, not official JLPT items; the JLPT does not publish an official N5 vocabulary list.

Try it yourself

  1. パンを＿＿。（飲のみます／食たべます／読よみます／書かきます）

    Show answer or example answer

    食べます

    食べます means eat: bread is what one eats, not drinks or reads.

  2. 手紙てがみを＿＿。（飲のみます／食たべます／書かきます／泳およぎます）

    Show answer or example answer

    書きます

    書きます means write: 手紙 is a letter to write.

  3. 水みずを＿＿。（着きます／話はなします／読よみます／飲のみます）

    Show answer or example answer

    飲みます

    飲みます means drink: 水 is water.

  4. 駅えきで電車でんしゃに＿＿。（乗のります／飲のみます／食たべます／書かきます）

    Show answer or example answer

    乗ります

    乗ります means board or ride: 電車に乗ります is the phrase for taking a train.

Use it today

Cover the answers and choose a verb for each sentence. Read the full phrase aloud and explain why the other choices do not fit.