Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES)
JLPT levels explained
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test
Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES)
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test
The JLPT is the standard qualification for non-native speakers of Japanese, held twice a year in Japan and around the world, and recognised for university admission, employment and immigration points. It has five levels, from N5 for beginners to N1 for advanced learners, and tests reading and listening only, with no speaking or writing section. Since the 2010 revision the organisers no longer publish official kanji and vocabulary lists, so the counts below carry forward the bands from the pre-2010 specifications and should be read as guidance. The study hours come from the Japanese Language Education Center's 2010-2015 learner survey, which splits results by whether learners already read a kanji-using language, rather than from any official recommendation.
JLPT has 5 levels, running from N5 at the bottom to N1 at the top. It is maintained by Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES).
| Level | Name | Typical vocabulary | Study to reach it |
|---|---|---|---|
| N5 | Beginner | About 800 words and 100 kanji (pre-2010 bands; no official list is published today) | 325-600 hours, or 250-450 with a kanji-using background |
| N4 | Elementary | About 1,500 words and 300 kanji (pre-2010 bands; no official list is published today) | 575-1,000 hours, or 400-700 with a kanji-using background |
| N3 | Intermediate | About 3,000-3,750 words and 600-650 kanji (widely cited estimate; N3 has no pre-2010 predecessor) | 950-1,700 hours, or 700-1,100 with a kanji-using background |
| N2 | Upper Intermediate | About 6,000 words and 1,000 kanji (pre-2010 bands; no official list is published today) | 1,600-2,800 hours, or 1,150-1,800 with a kanji-using background |
| N1 | Advanced | About 10,000 words and 2,000 kanji (pre-2010 bands; no official list is published today) | 3,000-4,800 hours, or 1,700-2,600 with a kanji-using background |
Japanese only.
If you have never studied the language, start at N5. If you have some background, pick the highest level whose can-do statements you can already manage comfortably, then work from there — starting slightly too low is much less costly than starting too high.
NativePal lets you set your level directly and change it whenever you like, so you can move up as soon as the material stops feeling like a stretch.
Each level page covers what it means, what you can do at it, how long it takes to reach, and how to practise there.
JLPT
N5 is the entry level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, certifying that you can read and understand typical expressions written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji, and follow short, slowly spoken conversations about familiar everyday topics.
JLPT
N4 is the second JLPT level, certifying that you can read passages on familiar everyday topics written in basic vocabulary and kanji, and follow conversations about daily life well enough to grasp the content when they are spoken slowly.
JLPT
N3 is the middle JLPT level and the bridge between basic and advanced Japanese, certifying that you can read everyday written material, grasp newspaper headlines, and follow coherent conversations spoken at near-natural speed on daily topics.
JLPT
N2 is the second-highest JLPT level, certifying that you can read newspaper articles and commentary on general topics, and follow news broadcasts and conversations spoken at natural speed in both everyday and more varied circumstances.
JLPT
N1 is the highest JLPT level, certifying that you can read logically complex and abstract writing such as editorials and critiques, and follow lectures, news and natural-speed conversations on a wide range of topics, grasping both structure and detail.
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