JLPT N5 to N1

797 lessons, each a scene. 6,374 words, 433 grammar points and 1,923 kanji, level by level, and 25 mock papers in the JLPT's current format.

JLPT level test: five words a level, from N5 up. Practice tests, a full mock paper each: N5 · N4 · N3 · N2 · N1.

Does the JLPT publish a word list?

No. Since its 2010 revision the JLPT publishes no list of vocabulary, kanji or grammar for any level. Its FAQ gives the reason: the test measures using Japanese to communicate, so a list of items to memorise was “not necessarily appropriate”. What it does publish is each level's test sections, a summary of what a candidate can do, and sample questions.

The lists on these pages are this course's.

The five levels

The JLPT has five levels, N5 the easiest and N1 the hardest. Each is a separate test with its own questions, and the JLPT's FAQ asks candidates to “choose a suitable level when taking the test.” Each level's test is in timed parts: at N5 to N3, vocabulary, then grammar and reading, then listening; at N2 and N1, vocabulary, grammar and reading together in one part, then listening.

N5

The JLPT sums N5 up as “The ability to understand some basic Japanese.” A reader at N5 reads typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana, and basic kanji, and a listener follows short conversations spoken slowly. This course teaches N5 in 67 lessons: 686 words, 70 grammar points and 511 kanji, and its mock papers run 90 minutes, as the test does.

N4

The JLPT sums N4 up as “The ability to understand basic Japanese.” A reader at N4 reads passages on familiar daily topics written in basic vocabulary and kanji, and a listener follows conversations encountered in daily life, provided that they are spoken slowly. This course teaches N4 in 60 lessons: 720 words, 72 grammar points and 408 kanji, and its mock papers run 115 minutes, as the test does.

N3

The JLPT sums N3 up as “The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree.” A reader at N3 reads written materials with specific contents concerning everyday topics, and a listener follows coherent conversations in everyday situations, spoken at near-natural speed. This course teaches N3 in 190 lessons: 1,528 words, 95 grammar points and 483 kanji, and its mock papers run 140 minutes, as the test does.

N2

The JLPT sums N2 up as “The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations, and in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree.” A reader at N2 reads articles and commentaries in newspapers and magazines as well as simple critiques, and a listener follows coherent conversations and news reports, spoken at nearly natural speed. This course teaches N2 in 180 lessons: 1,282 words, 98 grammar points and 173 kanji, and its mock papers run 155 minutes, as the test does.

N1

The JLPT sums N1 up as “The ability to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances.” A reader at N1 reads newspaper editorials and critiques, and a listener follows coherent conversations, news reports, and lectures, spoken at natural speed. This course teaches N1 in 300 lessons: 3,225 words, 98 grammar points and 348 kanji, and its mock papers run 165 minutes, as the test does.

The level summaries in quotation marks are the Japan Foundation's and JEES's, from the JLPT's own page.

Price

Free for good: every lesson of every level, every mock paper, かな, the dictionary and 書き取り. The full version, US$9.99 paid once, removes the ads in the Android app.