Beginner
Introducing yourself, ordering, getting around: survival Japanese.
Kanji: 79 · theory units: 15
日本語能力試験 · JLPT
The JLPT levels, from N5 to N1
The official Japanese exam for foreigners measures in five steps, and numbers them the opposite way to what you would expect: N5 is the easiest and N1 the hardest. There is no N6.
The official scale explained, with how many kanji and how many units the course covers at each level.
What the JLPT is
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test is the official exam of Japanese as a foreign language. It is run by the Japan Foundation and a Japanese educational services association, it is held twice a year in many countries and it is the certificate that Japanese universities and companies ask for.
It measures comprehension: vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening. There is no speaking or writing section, which is worth knowing before taking it as your only goal — you can pass N3 and not know how to order a coffee out loud.
Its numbering is misleading: the levels go from N5, the entry level, to N1, the highest. It is the opposite of what you would expect and it is almost everyone's first confusion.
The exam does not assess speaking or writing. That is why speaking practice here is separate and does not depend on the level: you start saying phrases out loud from the very first lesson.
The scale, step by step
What you can do at each level, how many kanji belong to it and how many theory units this course covers.
Elementary
Everyday conversation: saying what you did, asking permission, giving your opinion.
Kanji: 166 · theory units: 12
Intermediate
Street Japanese: real politeness, nuances and phrases that don't translate literally.
Kanji: 367 · theory units: 12
Upper intermediate
Press, work and formal Japanese. Only kanji are tagged here: theory goes up to N3.
Kanji: 367
Advanced
Written, academic and literary language. Only kanji are tagged here: theory goes up to N3.
Kanji: 985
The split of kanji by level is a reconstruction, not an official document: the Japan Foundation stopped publishing kanji lists in 2010. It is the de facto list and others differ on the odd character, so it is there to help you find your bearings, not to tell you for certain what will come up in the exam.
How far Hanasuka goes
The theory covers N5 to N3, which is where the Japanese you use when speaking ends: introducing yourself, getting around, shopping, telling what you did yesterday and following a normal conversation. The spoken lessons and the vocabulary follow those same three levels, so what you study in the theory of a level you practise out loud at that same level.
The kanji do go all the way up: all 2,136 from the list of characters in common use are there, tagged by level, so you can study the N1 ones even though that level's grammar is not included. And what the course does not cover is said here rather than left in doubt.
The JLPT, in depth
What the exam looks like inside
Every level measures the same things at a different difficulty: language knowledge, which is vocabulary, kanji and grammar; reading comprehension; and listening comprehension. From N5 to N3 vocabulary is a separate paper from grammar and reading, and at N2 and N1 they go together in a single block. Everything is multiple choice and answered on an optical mark sheet: you do not write a single sentence or speak to anyone. Nor do you have to write kanji out, only recognise them and know how to read them.
Listening is the part that surprises people most: the recordings are played only once and, in some exercises, neither the question nor the options are printed in the test booklet. To pass, the total score is not enough, because each section has its own minimum, so it is worth preparing them all and not staking everything on the one you are best at. And reading demands speed as well as comprehension: at the higher levels the texts are long and time is tight. Practising against the clock in the last few weeks is part of preparing.
What changes with each jump
N5 asks for the two syllabaries, a hundred or so kanji and the grammar of simple sentences: introducing yourself, saying what there is and where, asking for something. N4 adds the plain form, the て-form and its uses, conditionals and comparisons, and with that you can already follow a slow everyday conversation. N3 was created in the 2010 reform to bridge the gap between that level and N2, which was too big a jump, and it is where you start to understand Japanese at natural speed in everyday situations.
From N2 upwards the exam already resembles adult life in Japan: newspaper articles, instructions, work conversations and a vocabulary that grows a lot. N1 asks you to read abstract texts and follow complex speech. Many people find that the jump from N3 to N2 is harder than the earlier ones, because there is less new grammar but the vocabulary and kanji multiply. That is why the timeframes you read around for each level are a guide and not a promise.
How to prepare for it with this course
Hanasuka is for building the foundation of the first three levels. The theory covers grammar from N5 to N3, unit by unit and with its mini-quiz; the lessons practise that grammar in spoken phrases; the vocabulary is tagged from N5 to N3 and can be studied filtered by level; and the kanji carry their level all the way up to N1, with the caveat that this split is a reconstruction. What is not there: mock exams in the official format, timed tests or reading exercises with long texts.
A sensible plan combines both. For months, daily study of the level: theory, lessons, vocabulary, kanji and review. In the last few weeks, the official sample questions and a prep book or two, to get used to the format, the timing and listening just once. And on exam day, remember that the vocabulary and kanji levels are approximate: there is always some word that was not on any list, and that is not a failure of preparation.
How levels are used here
The level is not a gate or a lock: it is a way of ordering things and of measuring how far along you are.
Everything tagged
Every unit, every lesson and every kanji carries its level, and the menu shows how much of each you have done, with its bar and its count.
Filterable kanji
The kanji listing can be filtered, and whatever you leave filtered carries over to the quiz, so you can test yourself on just the ones for your level.
No empty levels
A level with no content is not shown in any list. If N2 theory is added one day, it will appear by itself where it belongs.
Questions about the JLPT
What is the easiest JLPT level?
N5. The scale goes from N5 to N1 in increasing difficulty, so N5 is the entry level and N1 the highest. It is the opposite of what the numbering suggests and it confuses almost everyone the first time.
How many kanji do you need to know for N5?
Around a hundred, and about eight hundred words. It is an achievable bar: with two or three months of steady study you get there. Bear in mind that the exact split by level is a reconstruction and not an official list.
Does the JLPT have a speaking test?
No. It assesses vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and listening comprehension, all with multiple-choice questions. There is no speaking or writing section, so passing it does not prove you can speak.
How long does it take to reach N3?
It depends a lot on your pace, but a reasonable order of magnitude, studying daily, is a year or a little more from scratch. N5 comes within a few months; from N3 on the curve gets steeper because the vocabulary grows a lot.
Is Hanasuka any good for preparing for the JLPT?
It is good for building the foundation —grammar up to N3, the 2,136 kanji tagged by level, vocabulary and listening—, but it is not a mock exam: there are no timed tests in the official format. And the split of kanji by level is a reconstruction, so for the exam it is worth checking it against other sources.
When and where is the JLPT held?
It is held twice a year, in July and December, although not every test centre offers both sittings. Outside Japan it is organised by centres linked to the Japan Foundation, usually universities or cultural institutions; registration dates and each country's test centres can be found on its official website.
How do you pass the JLPT?
You need to reach a minimum overall score and, on top of that, a minimum in each section, so scoring very well in grammar and reading does not make up for falling short in listening. The result is pass or fail, with the score broken down, and the certificate does not expire.
Do you have to take the levels in order?
No. Each level is an independent exam and you can go straight to the one that matches what you know, without having passed the ones below. Many people skip N5 and start with N4 or N3. The sensible thing is to try the official sample questions for each level and sit the highest one you can handle with some room to spare.
Keep going
Kanji: the characters that carry the meaning
The 2,136 in common use, with their readings, their school year and their frequency.
Japanese grammar: not difficult, just different
The verb at the end and the particles in charge. The full syllabus, unit by unit.
History of Japan for people studying Japanese
Thirteen eras, from Jōmon to Reiwa, told through what they left in the language.
Study by level, from N5 upwards
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