JLPT N5 Exam Guide: Format, Scoring, Dates and How to Pass

The JLPT N5 is the first level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. This guide covers what it tests, how the 90 minutes are split, every question type with a link to practise it, how scoring works (including the sectional minimum that fails people with a passing total), dates, registration, results and how hard it really is. Every fact about the test links to the official site, jlpt.jp.

• What the JLPT N5 is
• What N5 tests
• JLPT N5 exam format: sections and times
• Every N5 question type
• Scoring and pass marks
• Dates and registration
• What to expect on the day
• Results and certificates
• How hard is the JLPT N5?
• How to prepare
• Common mistakes
• FAQ

What the JLPT N5 is

The JLPT is the standard Japanese test for non-native speakers, run by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services. It has five levels, from N1 (hardest) to N5 (easiest). You choose your level; there is no requirement to pass a lower level first, and there is no age limit (JLPT FAQ).

Level	Rough meaning
N1	Japanese used in a broad range of situations
N2	Everyday Japanese plus some in wider situations
N3	Everyday Japanese to some degree
N4	Basic Japanese
N5	Some basic Japanese

The test is multiple choice on a mark sheet. There is no speaking test and no writing or composition section, and the JLPT says none is planned (JLPT FAQ). Most questions have four options; some listening questions have three.

What N5 tests

The official level summary describes N5 as “the ability to understand some basic Japanese”:

• Reading: you can read and understand typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji.
• Listening: you can follow conversations about topics from daily life and the classroom, and pick up the information you need from short conversations spoken slowly.

In practice that means:

• Kana. Hiragana and katakana are not tested on their own, but every question is written in them. If you are still sounding out kana, start with the kana charts and trainer.
• Vocabulary. Everyday words: family, food, time, numbers, places, common verbs and adjectives. The site covers 814 N5 words, each with an example sentence and audio.
• Kanji. Around a hundred basic characters for numbers, days, time, people and simple actions. The site lists 103 N5 kanji.
• Grammar. Particles, ます and plain forms, て-form, ない-form, past tense, adjectives, existence (あります / います), requests, invitations and comparisons. The site has 89 N5 grammar points, each with practice questions.

There is no official word list. The JLPT stopped publishing vocabulary, kanji and grammar lists (“Test Content Specifications”) when the test was revised in 2010 (JLPT FAQ). Every N5 list you find, ours included, is a best estimate. The Nihongomachi list is based on the Tanos N5 list (CC BY) plus a small number of common beginner words, and our N5 vocabulary guide explains how it is organised.

JLPT N5 exam format: sections and times

N5 has three test sections. These are the official times from the test sections page, in place since the December 2020 test, when the number of N4 and N5 Language Knowledge questions was reduced (JLPT FAQ):

Section	Time
Language Knowledge (Vocabulary)	20 min
Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading	40 min
Listening	30 min
Total test time	90 min

Your day at the venue is longer than 90 minutes because of check-in, instructions and breaks. The exact start time and schedule come from your local organiser.

The first two sections are taken separately but scored together, which matters for the pass marks below. Vocabulary is a short, fast section; Grammar・Reading is where most people run short of time, because the reading passages come at the end.

Every N5 question type

These are the official N5 types of test items from the test sections page. Each one links to a practice set on this site built to the same format.

Language Knowledge (Vocabulary), 20 minutes

Official name	What you do	Practise
Kanji reading	Choose the hiragana reading of an underlined kanji word.	Kanji reading
Orthography	Choose how an underlined hiragana word is written in kanji or katakana.	Orthography
Contextually-defined expressions	Choose the word that fits the blank in a sentence.	Fill the blank
Paraphrases	Choose the sentence closest in meaning to the underlined part.	Paraphrases

A typical kanji reading question:

来週、山へ行きます。(らいしゅう、やまへいきます。Raishuu, yama e ikimasu. “I’m going to the mountains next week.”)

Underlined: 来週. Options might include らいしゅう, らいしゅ, らいしょう and れいしゅう. Only らいしゅう (raishuu, “next week”) is right. The wrong options are near misses: a missing long vowel, a different vowel, a similar sound.

Paraphrase questions love an opposite plus a negative: このかばんはたかくないです (kono kaban wa takaku nai desu, “This bag is not expensive”) means almost the same as このかばんはやすいです (kono kaban wa yasui desu, “This bag is cheap”).

Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading, 40 minutes

Official name	What you do	Practise
Sentential grammar 1 (Selecting grammar form)	Choose the particle, verb form or ending that fits the blank.	Grammar form
Sentential grammar 2 (Sentence composition)	Put four pieces in order and choose the one that goes in the ★ slot.	Sentence assembly
Text grammar	Fill numbered blanks in a short essay or letter, using the surrounding sentences.	Text grammar
Comprehension (Short passages)	Read a short note, memo or email and answer a question.	Short reading
Comprehension (Mid-size passages)	Read a slightly longer essay or diary and answer questions.	Mid-length reading
Information retrieval	Find one answer in a notice, timetable, menu or poster.	Information search

Sentence composition (the ★ question) catches people who try to guess the starred slot directly. Build the whole sentence first, then read off the piece in the ★ position.

Listening, 30 minutes

Official name	What you do	Practise
Task-based comprehension	Hear a question and a conversation, then choose what the person will do or take.	Task listening
Comprehension of key points	Hear the question first, then catch one detail: a reason, a time, a place.	Key point listening
Verbal expressions	Look at a picture of a situation and choose what the person says. The options are only spoken.	Verbal expressions
Quick response	Hear one line, then choose the best reply from spoken options.	Quick response

Verbal expressions questions test set phrases in context. For example, before a meal you say いただきます (itadakimasu), and after it ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita, “thank you for the meal”). Getting the before/after the wrong way round is the classic trap.

Do not expect to hear a recording twice, and in the last two types the answer options are not printed, so you need to hold them in your head. That is why listening needs regular practice from early on, not just in the final month. The full list of practice sets is on the practice hub.

Scoring and pass marks

N5 has two scoring sections, not three. From the official scoring page:

Scoring section	Score range	Sectional minimum
Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading	0–120	38
Listening	0–60	19
Total	0–180	Pass mark: 80

To pass you need both: a total of at least 80, and at least the minimum in each scoring section.

The sectional minimum trap: a learner who scores 75/120 in Language Knowledge・Reading and 15/60 in Listening has a total of 90, comfortably above 80. They still fail, because 15 is below the listening minimum of 19. Listening is worth a third of the total and has its own minimum, so do not leave it until last.

Two more things about scoring:

• Scores are scaled, not raw. The JLPT uses scaled scores based on Item Response Theory, so your score is not simply the number of questions you got right, and two people with the same number of correct answers can get different scores (JLPT FAQ). Any practice test, including ours, can only give an estimate.
• Missing a section means failing. If you are absent for any section you fail, and your Score Report shows no scores at all, not even for the sections you sat (scoring page).

Dates and registration

The JLPT runs twice a year, in July and December. In 2026 the official test dates are Sunday 5 July and Sunday 6 December (JLPT FAQ). The next sittings for an N5 learner starting now are:

Sitting	Date
December 2026	Sunday 6 December 2026 (official)
July 2027	Expected Sunday 4 July 2027

The 2027 dates had not been published on jlpt.jp when this guide was updated (October 2026). The July test is normally on the first Sunday of July, which in 2027 is 4 July, so plan around that and confirm it on jlpt.jp once it is announced.

Outside Japan the schedule is set city by city. Not every city holds both sittings, some hold only certain levels at a sitting, and start times and registration windows differ. Check what your city offers before you plan around a date.

How to register. Outside Japan, the test is run by a local host institution in each country or city, and the registration method, fees and application period vary by site. Find yours on the official list of overseas test sites and host institutions and follow its instructions. In Japan, apply through the official JLPT website.

Practical points that apply everywhere:

• Registration closes months before the test. Application periods usually end well before test day, and popular sites can fill up. Look up your organiser’s dates as soon as you pick a sitting.
• Accommodations must be requested with your application. If you need special testing arrangements, the JLPT says to submit the request form at the time you apply (JLPT FAQ).
• Venue rules, refunds and transfers are local. What happens if you are late, how seating works, and whether fees can be refunded are set by your organiser. Read their rules, not someone else’s.

What to expect on the day

The exact rules come from your organiser and are printed on or sent with your test voucher. In general:

• Bring your test voucher (admission ticket) and whatever your organiser lists, typically photo ID and pencils and an eraser for the mark sheet. If you want a watch, check that your organiser allows it. Your organiser’s list is the one that counts.
• Arrive early. Rules on late arrival are set locally, and missing any section means failing the whole test.
• The order is Vocabulary, then Grammar・Reading, then Listening, with breaks between.
• Phones and materials: expect to switch off and put away phones and other electronics, with no dictionaries or notes. Your organiser’s rules give the details.
• Answer every question. A blank answer cannot score, so mark your best guess rather than leave a bubble empty.
• Leave the test paper. The JLPT says taking the test paper home results in an automatic fail (JLPT FAQ).

Results and certificates

Every examinee gets a Score Report; those who pass also get a Certificate of Proficiency (scoring page). According to the JLPT FAQ:

Where you sat	July test	December test
In Japan	Score Report mailed early September	Score Report mailed early February
Outside Japan	Sent via your host institution, early October	Sent via your host institution, early March

So if you sit the December 2026 test outside Japan, expect your Score Report in early March 2027. If it has not arrived by the end of that month, contact the host institution where you tested. The JLPT does not answer questions about results by phone or email.

The certificate has no expiry date, though some schools and employers set their own limit on how recent a result must be (JLPT FAQ).

How hard is the JLPT N5?

About half of the people who sit N5 pass. From the official JLPT statistics:

Sitting	N5 examinees	Certified	Pass rate
December 2025	79,483	39,925	50.2%
July 2025	65,483	33,242	50.8%

That is the easiest level, but it is not a formality. N5 tests real knowledge in a fixed time, with listening audio you should not expect to hear twice, and a fail for any section that falls below its minimum.

What makes it hard for most beginners is not one difficult topic but three gaps:

1. Slow kana reading. If each line takes effort to decode, the reading passages at the end of the 40-minute section do not get finished.
2. Listening left too late. Listening is a third of the score and has its own minimum. Reading a script is not the same as catching it at natural speed without a replay.
3. Recognition without recall. Knowing a word when you see it in a list is not the same as spotting it in a sentence with three near-miss options beside it.

How long it takes depends on your starting point and how regularly you study. There is no official figure for study hours. As an estimate from the size of this site’s N5 course, a learner starting from zero who studies 30 to 45 minutes most days can aim for a sitting four to six months away, and longer with less daily time; our JLPT N5 study plan has plans for different amounts of time.

How to prepare

You can do all of this on the site for free. Work through it in this order, and keep the daily reviews going throughout.

1. Kana first. Learn the 46 basic hiragana, then katakana, in the kana trainer until you can read them without stopping. Everything else depends on this.
2. Lessons plus daily reviews. Work through the 25 lessons in order. Each lesson mixes words, kanji and grammar, and ends with a short reading and a listening item in the exam format. The study app turns them into a short daily plan: a few new items and your due reviews, spaced so you see each item again just before you forget it. Thirty to forty-five minutes every day beats a long session once a week. Read the grammar points as they come up in each lesson; our noun grammar guide covers the sentence patterns you meet first.
3. Practice by question type. Once you are a few lessons in, start the practice sets, one question type at a time. The format is part of the test: the ★ ordering question, information retrieval and quick response all reward knowing what is coming. Include a listening type every week.
4. Mock tests. Once you finish the lessons, take the 5 timed mock tests, spread out so the last one is about two weeks before the test. Each gives an estimated score for both scoring sections, so you can see whether you are clearing the sectional minimums, not just the total. Go back to the practice type behind every mistake.

For the full week-by-week version, read the JLPT N5 study plan. For the words themselves, see the JLPT N5 vocabulary list guide.

Common mistakes

Common mistake: aiming for 80 overall and ignoring the sectional minimums. Track your Language Knowledge・Reading and Listening scores separately on every mock test. You need 38/120 and 19/60 as well as 80/180.

Common mistake: relying on romaji. The test has no romaji anywhere. Turn romaji off in the app’s settings as soon as you can read kana.

Common mistake: doing reading questions in order and running out of time. In Grammar・Reading, keep moving on grammar questions you cannot answer quickly so the passages at the end get a fair share of the 40 minutes.

Common mistake: missing the deadline. Registration closes long before the test. Check your organiser’s dates on the overseas test site list the day you decide to sit.

FAQ

What is the JLPT N5 pass mark? At least 80 out of 180 overall, plus at least 38 out of 120 in Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading and at least 19 out of 60 in Listening. Below either minimum, you fail even with a total above 80.

How long is the JLPT N5 exam? 90 minutes of test time: Vocabulary 20 minutes, Grammar・Reading 40 minutes and Listening 30 minutes. Instructions and breaks add to your time at the venue.

Is the JLPT N5 hard to pass? About half pass. In December 2025, 79,483 people sat N5 and 39,925 were certified, a 50.2% pass rate (JLPT statistics). You also need the minimum in each scoring section, not just 80 overall.

Is there an official JLPT N5 vocabulary or kanji list? No. The JLPT stopped publishing lists in 2010. Study lists, including ours, are based on community lists such as the Tanos N5 list, the official sample questions and past test content.

Do I have to pass N5 before taking N4? No. You can register for any level. Many beginners take N5 first as a clear target and a rehearsal of how the test works.

Does the JLPT N5 certificate expire? No. JLPT certificates have no expiry date, but some schools and employers set their own limit on how recent a result must be.

Test details can change. Check jlpt.jp and your local organiser before you register. Vocabulary list based on the Tanos JLPT N5 list (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.