JLPT Study Guide: An N1 Holder’s Advice

So, you want to pass the JLPT. Firstly, that’s a great goal to have! Regardless of the level, pushing yourself to succeed on the premier Japanese language test is something to be admired. Good for you!

That said, to say the test is intimidating would be an understatement. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test has something of a legendary status among those with even a slight interest in Japanese. Because of this, there are a lot of opinions on how to best study for the test. A lot. 

Many times you might get advice from a Japanese person, who themselves have never actually had to study Japanese from zero, let alone go from zero to N1. Similarly, maybe you’ll hear from people who have N3, but just can’t seem to pass N2. While I understand these perspectives, I think it can lead to advice not based on a holistic perspective on what it means to struggle, to toil one’s way to the top and truly defeat the JLPT.

The goal of this article is to give you my sincere advice on how to best approach the test. For background, I am a current JLPT N1 holder who started studying Japanese back in Fall of 2019. I’ve thought about the topic of Japanese learning long and hard, so hopefully my experience will help out those reading this.

There will be sections for each specific level of the test, but stay tuned to the end for my secret on how to pass not only EVERY single JLPT, but how you can change your Japanese learning for the rest of your life.

The Different Levels of the JLPT

We will begin with a short overview of the different levels of the JLPT. Let this act as a benchmark where you can determine “Yeah, I think N4 is the test for my current level” or “Over 2,000 kanji! If I took N1 right now my head would explode!”. 

(For reference, the JLPT is ordered from N5 to N1, with 5 being the lowest and 1 being the highest level. The below tables are all from the official JLPT website)

Overview

N5

N4

N3

N2

N1

(If you’re not sure exactly where you fall, I recommend looking at the “Practice Tests” portions of this article to get a more concrete idea.)

Common Textbooks

日本語総まとめ (Nihongo Sou Matome)

These books are great for JLPT study. They include separate sections that you can tackle each day to make sequential progress. Specifically, each day you can complete one set of pages, leading to the end of the week with a review section. It’s convenient, it’s thorough, and it’s available in different languages.

Here’s an amazon link if your interested in viewing the books yourself: 

▶︎ Nihongo Sou Matome Amazon

新完全マスター (Shin Kanzen Master)

These books are well known for their quality and reliability for helping people pass the JLPT. Not only are they packed with useful grammar information that shows up on the test, but they even include strategies for how to approach the test itself. On top of that, practice tests in the back of the book and useful summaries of the grammar being presented all make this series a classic. It’s available in different languages as well.

Here’s an amazon link if your interested in viewing the books yourself: 

▶︎ Shin Kanzen Master Amazon

What Tools Are At Your Disposal?

This is where the real fun begins. While textbooks are great as a starting point for your studies, you can’t fit a whole language in a couple of textbooks. It’s impossible. Be it N5 or N1, these tools will help pass the test and let you tap into that REAL Japanese.

Practice Tests: Understand the Format

You knew this one would be on here. It’s the least exciting, but very effective. Understanding the format of the test beforehand prevents you from any unneeded confusion during the test. You want your brain 100% focused on language, not on working out the instructions. 

To get a more concrete idea of your current level, here are some example problems and sample tests that you can refer to. These can also give you a basic understanding of the format of the test.

You can also find various JLPT study books that have practice tests attached, so if the tests you find online aren’t enough, that option always exists.

BUT!!! Don’t focus too much on these. While understanding the format is extremely helpful, after you’ve done a practice test once or twice, you should be able to grasp what the test will feel like come the real thing. 

Flash Cards

These are simple but effective. When learning a language, there is a lot to remember. Using flashcards will help you in the process. Of course there are old school flashcards. You just need paper and a pen. Boom. Flash card. 

Paper cards aren’t bad, but digital tools can help make things more streamlined and effective. So, let’s use whatever machine you are reading this article on instead. Here’s a suggestion how:

Anki: Digital Flashcards

This program has changed how many people approach studying in general. It offers a lot of customizations options and allows you to really get things into your memory. The trick is that unlike a standard flashcard program, it tracks what cards you don’t remember so well and prioritizes showing you them again. This way, you can focus on learning what you struggle with instead of reviewing what you already know. 

Anki can be a bit confusing to use, but along with being able to make your own flashcards, it also has helpful features like downloading community decks specifically made for the various levels of the JLPT. It’s also completely free for PC and Android, and while the iOS app is paid, you can use the browser to access it for free.

(If it’s difficult or confusing, I recommend looking up videos on youtube on how to set it up.)

Link to Anki’s Website:

▶︎ Ankiweb

Link to shared “japanese” decks:

▶︎ “Japanese” Anki Decks

YouTube and Streaming Services

Now this, THIS is where the magic happens. Until now, I’ve mentioned books and practice tests.  Very academic. Very serious. Very… boring. While these are needed to an extent (especially at an early level), they are where your JLPT journey begins. 

Think about it this way, if the Japanese were a sport, textbooks, flashcards, practice tests, these things are all like weight training and exercise. You need to do them to become the best athlete you can, but even if you have the biggest muscles in the world, if you never play the sport, you’ll never be good at it.

Of course, there are good language learning channels:

• Comprehensible Japanese: Japanese content aimed at beginners.
• 日本語の森: Great resource for learning grammar for basically every level of the JLPT.
• あかね的日本語教室: A mix of grammar videos, vlogs, and real world scenarios where you can use Japanese.

(In my own studies, 日本語の森 and あかね的日本語教室 were both channels I watched a lot)

But! These are not enough. We need real spoken Japanese. No safety rails. Content for native speakers. This is where the play comes in.

So, let’s watch some anime, watch some news, watch old comedy movies that only Japanese grandpas know about. Watch anything. Let’s do Japanese! 

Headphones + Phone = Japanese All The Time

This one is simple, but super effective. If you have a smartphone. If you have headphones. Well, you have one of the best study tools already in your hands! 

Do you have dishes to wash? Listen to Japanese podcasts while you wash them.

Want to go for a walk? Great, that’s the perfect time for listening to the news in Japanese!

Finding the small moments in your day where you can fit in some Japanese means you can get in listening practice while living your normal life. 

Books: Not Just the Educational Kind

The JLPT is a reading test. So we do need to spend some time reading. Luckily, there are a lot of things to read! Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know where to start. 

One resource I recommend is Natively. While not an official rating system, this website has users grade the difficulty of books, allowing for a good guess as to what level the book is suitable for. You can also just go in head first and start reading whatever seems interesting to you. 

Again, the JLPT is mostly a reading test, so reading is essential and will help you no matter your level.

Advice for Beginners

Hiragana and Katakana

This is essential. For those new to Japanese, first an explanation. Japanese mostly uses 3 different sets of characters: hiragana (ひらがな), katakana (カタカナ), and kanji (漢字).

Hiragana is where you will start. It’s kinda the “base” of Japanese writing in many ways. Technically, you can write the whole language with only hiragana (or katakana), but for a few reasons it makes things a bit difficult to read and understand. It is mostly used for writing grammatical points, words that have difficult kanji, and for children’s materials. 

Katakana is interesting because it actually has the same exact sounds as hiragana and for every hiragana, there is a matching katakana character. The main difference here is how they are used, generally being for foreign words or words that mimic sounds.

Finally, Kanji. Originally Chinese characters, each character has its own specific meaning and generally a few different readings. We’ll talk about these more in a moment.

For beginners with no understanding of hiragana and katakana, start by learning them. If you study everyday with flashcards and reading your textbooks, it should take maybe a week to become familiar with hiragana and another week to become familiar with katakana. You won’t be perfect after this, but if you make the effort to pay attention to them in writing and do your best to avoid romaji (the alphabet used to show Japanese words), you will naturally pick them up.

Basic Grammar and Basic Kanji: Textbook Time!

While beginning your JLPT / Japanese learning, it’s best to start off by building a strong foundation for the rest of your journey. You want to be aware of basic grammar, common vocabulary, and cultural aspects that show up a lot in the language.

This means…

TEXTBOOKS!

Using beginner friendly textbooks like the ones listed above, you can understand the basics. Take things at a pace you are comfortable with and don’t overdo anything. But, if there is one thing I can advise: do it everyday. Consistency is key to language learning, so make the habit early and you will be glad.

This is also where you will get your first exposure to kanji. For people with no prior background with Chinese characters, this is where you will spend a lot of time studying. Because kanji usually have at least two different readings, my advice is to find example vocabulary that uses different readings to study. 

N5 level has about 100 kanji on the test, with N4 having around 300. This means that if you just learn 5 kanji a day, you’ll be ready for N5 in under a month and N4 within 2. 

BUT REMEMBER: Learning them once is not enough. After you learn kanji, make sure you are reviewing them frequently. If you don’t, you will forget them. 

Start Early: Spend Time in Japanese Mode

This is something that sounds so simple but I think gets away from most people: if you want to understand Japanese, you need to do things in Japanese!

From the start of your studies, make time to not study in the normal sense of the word. Instead, just spend some time every day in Japanese mode. You can watch a TV show, listen to music, try reading manga, anything. The point here is not to understand everything, but just to start building the Japanese part of your brain. 

While textbooks and studying have more immediate results (when I first learned “と” means “and”, I felt like a genius), the time spent being immersed in Japanese is what will make the difference long term.

Advice for Intermediate Learners 

In my opinion, this is where things get interesting. That said, this is the point where many people will suffer from the “Intermediate Plateau”, a point where you feel like you just can’t improve. Here is some advice to push through.

Let’s Get Serious: It’s Kanji Time

This is where a lot of people might get scared: learning kanji. It may seem scary at first, but I assure you that it really isn’t that bad. 

Here’s a breakdown of what you should expect for Kanji on the JLPT.

As said previously in the article, learning the kanji for N5 and N4 is not really too difficult a task. With some diligent study, it’s achievable in a month or two. With higher levels though, things become more tricky.

There is one through line though: consistency.

If you only look at kanji once every few days, if you never sit down and try to read something in Japanese, if you never experience kanji, you will forget them. 

Here I recommend two things:

1. Anki
2. Reading

Simple. Using Anki to really get kanji down into your head in a consistent manner. Reading to refresh your memory and give context to the kanji and words you are reading.

Manga is great at this level because you are able to simply enjoy the art while learning some Japanese. Children or young adult novels are also a great way to dip your toes into Japanese literature while not being overwhelmed.

Even using the Japanese side of the internet can help. Reading a news article. Following a streamer. Checking up on social media. Doing these in Japanese are bite sized activities that all will utilize kanji.

Grammar: Textbooks Aren’t Everything

This one is big. At the intermediate level, you should be starting to understand Japanese when you hear or read it. Even if you don’t understand 100%, you’re starting to get the jist. So, let’s use this skill and further polish it!

While textbooks are great at laying out grammar in a nice, clean, digestible manner, they are lacking in a few ways.

First, It’s from a textbook. Not all textbooks are bad, and some are quite good, but at the end of the day it probably won’t contain all the various grammar that is used in Japanese. Even if it does, you lack real world context for the grammar presented.

Second: It’s boring. For language learning to really take root, you need to enjoy it! You need to engage with it! We want to avoid thinking “Ahh, I just want to relax, I don’t want to study Japanese right now.” This makes sense, when I’m tired, I don’t really want to sit down and study. I want to enjoy my time. So, have fun in Japanese!

Pairing the systemized study of textbooks, flashcards, and dictionaries with the fun, enjoyable, constantly changing enjoyment of language allows for a deeper, more sustainable routine.

Advice for Advanced Learners

Learn from the World (and do it a lot)

This is really it. Really, I’ve been trying to give this advice since the beginning of the article. At every level, experiencing the language as much as you can is to your benefit. The reason I stress it here is because at this level, that’s really all that’s left. Everything before was just preparing you for this: simply being in Japanese. No matter what you do in the language, it is all connected and will weave together in your mind.

While being in Japanese mode is always the best general Japanese study, JLPT study will take a slightly different approach. A focus on reading will help more than anything, so I recommend picking up a novel or other long form reading. This real world exposure along with JLPT specific studies should help you cover all bases. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to go to materials a bit above your level. Of course know if something is just outright painful at your current level and maybe save that for later. But if something is just out of your reach, if you feel sliiightly uncomfortable with it, you know you’ve found something good. Learning means seeing things we don’t know, and getting to know them. Be confused. Be uncomfortable. Make mistakes. That’s what will push you to the next level.

What to Avoid

“It’s Too Difficult”

You will often, very often, hear people’s opinions about this test online. Heck, you’re reading mine now. No matter what though, do not be intimidated by people who say the test is “way too difficult”, “impossible”, or “uses Japanese you never see in real life”. Japanese is Japanese is Japanese. 

While some things on the test are not the most common, they are Japanese. With enough exposure and study, none of the language on the test itself should be a problem. The biggest difficulty I think the test possesses is some of the odd formatting of questions and time restraints, but with practice tests and confidence going into the test, even this can be prepared for.

Reading Too Many Articles Like This One

Hey, this is English! Not Japanese!

But really, I think sometimes people may spend a lot of time thinking about how to prepare for the test, rather than just preparing for the test. Your study method doesn’t need to be perfect, you just need to show up and actually study.

Once you have an OK grasp on what your study schedule and language immersion habits, you don’t need to read about how other people were able to get where they are or how other people passed. You have a long journey ahead of you, so get moving!

It’s Not on the Test but You Need It: Motivation

とにかくやれ！：Motivation Comes After

とにかくやれ！(tonikaku yare!!) kinda means “just do it!” in Japanese, and it’s a great way to approach learning Japanese.

Below is a video from Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Kirby and the Super Smash Brothers Series, explaining his idea of motivation. More important than having motivation and then doing something, he declares that doing something leads to motivation. It can be difficult to go from 0 to 1, no motivation to fully ready to go, but by just beginning, we’ll often find the motivation in the process.

とにかくやれ!! 【仕事の姿勢】

Basically, if you know you want to learn Japanese, don’t wait for the motivation to come and then learn. That’s backwards! Right now, this very moment, do something in Japanese! Keep doing that again and again, and you will find your motivation.

Have Fun! (no but seriously have fun)

This wisdom is the KEY to success. If you can look forward to Japanese, get excited to watch the next episode of the show you are watching, wonder about the final issue of the manga you’ve been reading, or be engrossed in a game you’re playing, now you’ve done it. You are learning naturally and having a good time doing it. 

If tonikaku yare!! is the trick to turn no motivation into, well, motivation, then having fun is the method to ensure you’re motivated naturally. It’s not just a platitude, it’s a strategy for success.

The SECRET to Passing…

Now, here’s the money. What is the one secret, the one method, the TRUTH to passing the JLPT??

Uhh, do stuff in Japanese!

Do lots of stuff in Japanese. 

It seems obvious, maybe too simple. That said, it’s true. If you do Japanese a lot, you learn a lot of Japanese.

There is so much in the world of this language that is waiting for you. This is of course general advice for Japanese learning, but that was my approach to passing N1 and I know many people who did the same. Do Japanese. Take note of what you don’t know and study it. Do more Japanese. If you keep that process up and constantly challenge yourself to all kinds of aspects of the language, challenge yourself to push forward, you can pass. 

FAQ

Q. I failed, now what?

The key point here is to know where you struggled. After receiving your results, see what sections were the most difficult for you. Listening? Start watching TV and listening to podcasts. Language knowledge? Probably time to review some kanji and grammar. 

No matter what, you should just continue on in Japanese mode. By just learning a little bit all the time, each day you will become more ready for eventually passing. Patience and consistency are key.

Q. What is the fastest way to learn?

There are many nuanced ideas on this, but generally they all agree that exposure to the language is essential. Beyond immersing yourself in the language and daily study of new grammar, vocab, and kanji, there isn’t much else you can do. The process is slow, learn to be comfortable with the pace and enjoy the adventure.

Q. Do you have any recommendations for books / movies / tv shows / etc. ?

Whatever you like! Really that’s it. The important thing here is to build a personal relationship with Japanese. So do whatever it is you think looks interesting. 

Sometimes it’ll feel like it’s above your level, but that is totally natural. Just expose yourself to the language in a personalized way and the benefits will come with time.

Conclusion

The JLPT is a Japanese test. If there is anything I want you to get from this article, it is that fact. I say this because Japanese people don’t view their language as some academic journey, some extremely difficult subject they had to toil and work hard for, its just… Japanese.

So do what they did, do Japanese. Learn it and learn it wide. Don’t limit yourself only to TV, only to novels, only to the news or economics, learn everything and enjoy the process. Make part of your life Japanese and the JLPT will just become a step in that process. 

Take practice tests and study, but more importantly, do Japanese.