N4 Grammar Practice: Deeper Lessons and 45 Questions in Friends Beta
Looking for N4 grammar practice that explains why an answer works—not just whether it is correct?
The October development update for Nazufi Japanese Friends Beta focuses on more detailed N4 lessons, a larger practice question bank, and improvements to the quiz and progress-tracking experience.
According to the latest development report, the update expands the explanations within all 10 N4 lessons and brings the N4 question bank to 45 practice questions. Across the five level-based question banks, from N5 to N1, the reported total is 135 questions.
For learners moving beyond basic Japanese, the emphasis is on connecting three things: how a sentence is formed, what it means, and when someone would naturally use it.
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What is Nazufi Japanese Friends Beta?
Nazufi Japanese Friends Beta is an online Japanese learning tool that brings together grammar explanations, examples and practice activities.
Its approach is not limited to memorising a Japanese expression and its English translation. It also encourages learners to consider the situation around a sentence: what the speaker is trying to communicate, who they are speaking to, and how a different expression might change the meaning.
English explanations and comparisons provide a starting point for exploring those differences.
The N5–N1 learning structure offers a way to organise study by level. This update concentrates on the N4 section, giving learners more material to work through within its existing lessons.
For an introduction to the wider learning approach, read Learn Japanese Grammar from N5 to N1 with Real-Life Context.
What has changed in the N4 grammar lessons?
The main change is greater depth within the 10 existing N4 lessons, rather than the addition of ten entirely new lessons.
The development report describes expanded sections covering the following areas:
Learning area | Added lesson sections |
Understanding the structure | Why it works and English comparison |
Distinguishing between expressions | Similar expressions and Common mistakes |
Connecting grammar with communication | Formal vs casual, Real Conversation and Nuance |
Checking and consolidating understanding | JLPT focus, Practice and Review |
▶︎ Understand why a pattern works
Knowing the English meaning of a grammar pattern is a useful starting point. The next question is how that pattern works inside a Japanese sentence.
The expanded explanations are intended to give learners more opportunities to examine the structure, compare it with English, and understand the reasoning behind an example.
A useful question to ask while studying is:
“Could I explain why this form belongs here?”
That shifts the task from recognising a familiar phrase to explaining how the sentence works.
▶︎ Compare similar expressions
The Similar expressions and Common mistakes sections place more attention on distinctions between patterns, rather than presenting each one in isolation.
When reviewing a comparison, look beyond whether two expressions have a similar English translation. Ask what changes when one is used instead of the other.
Does the speaker’s intention change? Is the expression more appropriate in a different situation? Is the sentence being used to explain something, make a request or respond to another person?
These are the kinds of questions the expanded lesson structure is designed to encourage.
▶︎ Explore conversation, formality and nuance
The Formal vs casual, Real Conversation and Nuance sections connect grammar study with the circumstances in which an expression is used.
The aim is not simply to produce a correct sentence in isolation. It is to consider whether that sentence fits the conversation.
For each example, try asking:
“Who might say this, to whom, and in what situation?”
N4 grammar practice: 45 questions, with 135 across N5–N1
The latest development report lists 45 N4 practice questions.
The reported distribution across the five level-based question banks is:
Level | Practice questions |
N5 | 45 |
N4 | 45 |
N3 | 21 |
N2 | 12 |
N1 | 12 |
Total | 135 |
These figures describe the question banks in the reported build—not the number of questions newly added in this update.
For N4 learners, the expanded question bank provides more material to use alongside the lesson explanations. Rather than approaching it only as a score to improve, use each question to identify what you understand and what needs another look.
After choosing an answer, ask yourself why it fits. Then consider why the alternatives do not.
A correct answer reached by guessing can still be worth reviewing. An incorrect answer can help you choose the next explanation to revisit.
How to use the lessons and quizzes together
A practical way to use Friends Beta is to move between Learn, Quiz and Progress, rather than treating the quiz as a separate activity.
▶︎ Start with one lesson
Choose one N4 lesson and read its explanation before attempting the related practice.
Pay particular attention to the sentence structure and English comparison. Then look at the examples, the common mistakes and the distinctions between similar expressions.
There is no need to work through the entire level in one sitting. One lesson gives you a manageable starting point.
▶︎ Use the quiz to check your reasoning
When answering a question, pause long enough to explain your choice to yourself.
Try completing this sentence:
“This answer fits because…”
The explanation might relate to the grammar form, the intended meaning or the context. When you cannot explain your choice, make that the focus of your review.
▶︎ Return to the explanation, then review your progress
After a difficult question, return to the relevant lesson rather than immediately moving on.
Check the section that addresses the uncertainty. That might be Why it works, Similar expressions or Common mistakes.
You can also write a short example of your own and compare its structure with the lesson. Treat this as a personal study activity, rather than assuming the app will assess your writing.
Use the progress view as a record of your practice, while keeping the main goal in mind: understanding the language behind the answers.
Improvements to quiz display and progress tracking
The October development report also includes fixes to the learning interface.
These address repeated redraws in the N5 and N4 sections, an issue in which older stored quiz results could overwrite newer results, and an incorrect total-question display.
These are targeted fixes to the practice experience, rather than a claim that the beta is free of all issues.
Friends Beta remains a work in progress. The feedback option at the bottom of the app page gives learners a way to report confusing explanations, unexpected behaviour and requests for future learning content.
When reporting a problem, include the level, lesson or question involved, what happened, and the device or browser you were using. That makes the feedback more specific and actionable.
Can Friends Beta support JLPT N4 study?
Friends Beta is intended as an additional learning resource, not an official JLPT product or a complete examination course.
The official JLPT description places N4 at the level of understanding basic Japanese. Its expectations include reading passages about familiar daily topics and following everyday conversations when they are spoken slowly. Grammar knowledge supports these activities, but it is only one part of the overall level.
Use the N4 lessons and quizzes alongside your other study materials. For example, you could study a pattern in a textbook, review its explanation in Friends Beta, and then look for it in a reading or listening activity.
Completing the question bank should not be treated as proof of JLPT readiness. The more useful question is whether you can recognise and understand the structures when you encounter them outside the quiz.
The same approach can suit learners who are not preparing for an examination. You can use the level labels to organise your practice while keeping your own communication goals at the centre of your study.
Summary | A deeper approach to N4 grammar practice
The October Friends Beta development update centres on more detailed explanations within the 10 N4 lessons, a 45-question N4 practice bank, and fixes to quiz display and progress tracking.
Its learning focus is straightforward: do more than recognise a grammar pattern. Examine how it works, compare it with related expressions, and consider the conversation in which it belongs.
Start with one lesson, test your understanding, and return to the explanation wherever your reasoning feels uncertain.
Explore Nazufi Japanese Friends Beta, and use the feedback option at the bottom of the page to share what helps, what remains unclear and what you would like to study next.
Continue your Japanese reading practice through culture
Ready to take your Japanese beyond grammar quizzes? Reading about everyday life in Japan offers another way to put what you have learnt into practice.
『寿司を食べる前に、この本を読んでください。』 — roughly translated as Read This Book Before You Eat Sushi — by Kizuki Michinaka explores 52 cultural topics, including dining, public transport, visiting someone’s home and everyday communication. Despite its title, the book goes well beyond sushi: it looks at the reasons behind familiar customs and less obvious social expectations.
The book is written mainly in Japanese, making it a reading option for learners who can already read hiragana and understand basic Japanese. Learners studying around N4–N3 may find it particularly relevant, although its suitability will depend on their reading confidence and vocabulary.
Try reading one topic alongside your Friends Beta practice. Notice familiar grammar patterns, look up a few useful words, and ask yourself what the passage reveals about the situation it describes.
It is an opportunity to learn more Japanese—and to use that Japanese to understand more about Japan.
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