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Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.

Japanese N5 sentence practice

Work from one sentence to a short message. Read the situation, choose an answer, then identify the word that proves it. These original beginner exercises focus on meaning as well as form; no account is needed.

Build the sentence around what you mean

In a basic Japanese sentence, the verb normally comes at the end. Particles show how the nouns relate to it. Learn the whole phrase: 図書館で means the library is where an activity happens, while 図書館に can mark the destination or the location of something that exists. The noun alone does not decide the particle.

図書館で本を読みます。

としょかんで ほんを よみます。

I read a book at the library. で marks the activity location; を marks what I read.

机の上に本があります。

つくえの うえに ほんが あります。

There is a book on the desk. に marks where the book exists.

七時に学校へ行きます。

しちじに がっこうへ いきます。

I go to school at seven. に marks the specific time; へ marks the direction.

Read the ending before choosing a time

飲みます can describe a habit or a future action. 飲みました describes a past action, and 飲みませんでした a past negative. A word such as 昨日 helps, but it is not enough: read whether the action happened. Japanese often leaves out a subject that the conversation already makes clear.

毎朝、お茶を飲みます。

まいあさ、おちゃを のみます。

I drink tea every morning: a habit.

昨日はお茶を飲みませんでした。

きのうは おちゃを のみませんでした。

I did not drink tea yesterday: the past action did not happen.

Move from sentences to evidence

For a message or notice, identify who, when and where. Then check negatives and contrasts: でも can change a plan, and 休み tells you a place is closed. An answer can repeat a word from the passage and still be wrong. For each reading question below, find the complete phrase that supports your answer before checking it.

Nine sentences, then three short readings

1. Choose the particle for where you read.

図書館（　）本を読みます。

  1. に
  2. で
  3. を
  4. へ
Answer and explanation

で

で marks the place where reading happens. に is used for an existence location or a destination, を marks an object here, and へ marks direction. None of those gives the intended activity location.

I read a book at the library.

2. Choose the particle for where the cat is.

猫は部屋（　）います。

  1. を
  2. へ
  3. で
  4. に
Answer and explanation

に

With います, に marks where a living thing exists. で marks an activity location, not this existence location. を does not mark it either, and へ suggests direction without a movement verb here.

The cat is in the room.

3. Complete “I wake up at six.”

六時（　）起きます。

  1. に
  2. で
  3. を
  4. が
Answer and explanation

に

A specific clock time takes に here. で does not express “at six” in this sentence. を would mark an object, and が a subject. Contrast 毎朝起きます: 毎朝 normally needs no に.

I wake up at six.

4. Complete “I drink water.”

水（　）飲みます。

  1. に
  2. で
  3. を
  4. へ
Answer and explanation

を

Water is what you drink, so use を. に marks roles such as destination or time; で can mark means or location; へ marks direction. They do not mark the thing being drunk here.

I drink water.

5. You did not watch television yesterday. Choose the polite ending.

昨日、テレビを（　）。

  1. 見ます
  2. 見ませんでした
  3. 見ました
  4. 見ています
Answer and explanation

見ませんでした

見ませんでした says that watching did not happen in the past. 見ました is past affirmative. 見ます is non-past, and 見ています does not express the requested past negative.

I did not watch television yesterday.

6. The weather was cold yesterday. Choose the past affirmative form.

昨日は（　）です。

  1. 寒い
  2. 寒くない
  3. 寒かった
  4. 寒くなかった
Answer and explanation

寒かった

寒かった is the past affirmative of 寒い. 寒い is non-past; 寒くない is non-past negative; 寒くなかった means it was not cold. Keep time and affirmation separate when checking.

It was cold yesterday.

7. Ask someone to wait a little.

少し（　）ください。

  1. 待つ
  2. 待ち
  3. 待って
  4. 待った
Answer and explanation

待って

A request with ください takes the て form: 待ってください. 待つ is the dictionary form, 待ち the ます stem, and 待った the plain past. None attaches to ください in this request pattern.

Please wait a little.

8. Which sentence says “I drink coffee at home every morning”?

  1. 毎朝、家でコーヒーを飲みます。
  2. 毎朝、家をコーヒーで飲みます。
  3. 毎朝、家にコーヒーが飲みます。
  4. 毎朝、家でコーヒーに飲みます。
Answer and explanation

毎朝、家でコーヒーを飲みます。

The first sentence uses 家で for the activity location and コーヒーを for the object. The second wrongly makes the house the object. The third makes coffee the subject of drinking. The fourth uses に where the object particle を is needed.

I drink coffee at home every morning.

9. The speaker will buy only the cheap notebook. Choose the matching sentence.

このノートは百円です。あのノートは三百円です。

  1. あのノートだけを買います。
  2. どちらも買いません。
  3. どちらも買います。
  4. このノートだけを買います。
Answer and explanation

このノートだけを買います。

このノート is 100 yen, so it is the cheaper one. あのノート costs 300 yen. どちらも買いません means buying neither; どちらも買います means buying both. だけ restricts the choice to one.

This notebook is 100 yen. That notebook is 300 yen.

10. Read the message. When will the two people go to the library?

ミナさんへ
土曜日は仕事があります。日曜日はいっしょに図書館へ行きましょう。朝十時に駅で会いましょう。
ユキ

  1. 土曜日の朝十時
  2. 日曜日の朝十時に駅で会ってから
  3. 土曜日の仕事の前
  4. 日曜日の夜十時
Answer and explanation

日曜日の朝十時に駅で会ってから

日曜日 names the library plan, and 朝十時に駅で会いましょう gives the meeting first. Saturday is a workday, not the library day. 朝 means morning, so the option with 夜 is wrong. No plan before work is stated.

To Mina: I have work on Saturday. Let’s go to the library together on Sunday. Let’s meet at the station at ten in the morning. Yuki

11. Read the notice. Which visit fits the opening hours?

さくらパン店
月曜日から土曜日：午前八時〜午後六時
日曜日：休み

  1. 日曜日の午前十時
  2. 火曜日の午前七時
  3. 水曜日の午後三時
  4. 土曜日の午後七時
Answer and explanation

水曜日の午後三時

Wednesday at 3 pm falls between 8 am and 6 pm on an open day. Sunday is closed. Tuesday at 7 am is too early, and Saturday at 7 pm is after closing. Both the day and the time must fit.

Sakura bakery: Monday to Saturday, 8 am–6 pm. Closed on Sunday.

12. What did the writer do at the park yesterday?

昨日、友だちと公園へ行きました。雨でしたから、テニスはしませんでした。公園の中の店でお茶を飲みました。三時に家へ帰りました。

  1. テニスをしました。
  2. 一人で本を読みました。
  3. 三時に公園へ行きました。
  4. 店でお茶を飲みました。
Answer and explanation

店でお茶を飲みました。

店でお茶を飲みました directly supports drinking tea in a shop. テニスはしませんでした rules out tennis. The writer went with a friend, not alone. Three o’clock is the return time, not the arrival time. Reading a book is not mentioned.

Yesterday I went to the park with a friend. Because it was raining, we did not play tennis. We drank tea at a shop in the park. I went home at three.

Where the rule stops

Particle choices depend on meaning: 学校に行きます and 学校へ行きます are both possible. These questions give a specific context so that only one offered answer fits. A score here is practice feedback, not a JLPT score or a proficiency diagnosis.

Use it without the choices

Write two sentences about yesterday: one thing you did and one thing you did not do. Underline each verb ending. Then reread the park passage and explain why seeing テニス in an answer does not make it correct.

How can I practise Japanese N5 sentences?

Start with a situation, choose the particle or verb form, and explain what it means in the whole sentence. Then read a short message and point to the words supporting your answer. Revisit missed items before trying a new passage.

Do I need to sign in for these exercises?

No. All twelve exercises and explanations on this page are free to open. Your answers stay in this page session; they are not saved to your account.

References

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