Shin Kanzen Master Kanji for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4

Shin Kanzen Master N4 Kanji covers 278 kanji (186 for writing) across 15 lessons, with 7 review sections and 2 mock tests. The lessons follow a Vietnamese family, the Nguyens, through everyday life in Japan: moving house, grocery shopping, starting a job, visiting the hospital, planning a trip. You learn kanji through short passages about these situations, so the characters are always tied to vocabulary you'd actually encounter. The book includes English and Vietnamese translations and a 19-page answer and kanji reference booklet.

Most learners pick up N4 kanji through their main textbook, so a dedicated kanji book at this level is supplementary. The approach to kanji is what makes this one stand out. Rather than drilling characters in isolation, each lesson gives you a context first and builds the kanji around it. That context-based learning is how you build real kanji reading skills rather than just memorising characters one by one.