JLPT N5 or N4: Which Level Should You Take First?
Compare the official N5 and N4 descriptions, try reading and listening samples, and choose a level based on the gaps you can actually identify.
Choose N5 if you are still building the basics and the official N4 reading and listening samples feel mostly unfamiliar. Consider N4 if you can follow the N5 samples and can make sense of the N4 examples across both reading and listening. Neither a textbook chapter nor one sample question can predict a pass.
You choose a level when you register. The JLPT organizers recommend comparing their level descriptions and sample questions. Their general eligibility guidance does not list an N5 certificate as a requirement for N4, though local host institutions may have registration rules. Check your own host before applying.
What changes between N5 and N4?
Both levels test basic Japanese. The official N5 description focuses on familiar expressions and sentences in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji, plus information from short, slowly spoken conversations. For N4, the description asks for understanding passages on familiar daily topics and generally following slow everyday conversations. Read the organizers' full descriptions before reducing the choice to a vocabulary count.
These descriptions are a guide to the test, not a complete portrait of your Japanese. The JLPT does not have a speaking or writing section. A learner who chats comfortably may still need reading practice; a learner who reads carefully may need to work on listening.
Use the same three checks at both levels
- Vocabulary and grammar: Try the organizers' sample items for each level. Mark whether you understood the question itself, not just whether a guess happened to be right.
- Reading: Read an official sample without a dictionary first. Write down the main point and the detail the question asks for. Check your answer and identify whether a word, grammar pattern or time limit caused the problem.
- Listening: Listen to the official sample in test conditions, then check the answer. Note whether you missed the whole situation or just one detail. Use a replay for learning after your first attempt, not to make the first result look better.
The official sample page offers one example for each item type at each level. That is enough to inspect the format, but it is not a full test or a predicted score. For a longer check, use the official practice workbook materials and follow the instructions for their audio and answers.
A small reading check
The following sentences are original practice examples, not official JLPT questions and not a level diagnosis.
図書館は、日曜日は休みです。月曜日は午前九時に開きます。
“The library is closed on Sunday. It opens at 9 a.m. on Monday.”
Can you find the day the library opens and the time? Now try the condition in this second example:
金曜日までに申し込んでください。雨が降ったら、遠足は日曜日になります。
“Please apply by Friday. If it rains, the excursion will be on Sunday.”
The deadline is Friday; the weather condition changes the day of the excursion. If you know the words but miss the condition, review how the sentence connects its two parts. If you cannot read several words, use that as a vocabulary clue. Do not assign yourself N4 or N5 from these two sentences.
Make a decision from the gaps
- Choose N5 for now: The N5 examples are a useful challenge, while the N4 reading or listening task depends mostly on unfamiliar material. Use N5 to focus your preparation, or delay registration if its samples also feel out of reach.
- Consider N4: You understand the N5 examples and can answer N4 reading and listening examples with an explanation of your choices. Check a longer practice set before registering.
- If the skills disagree: Do not let strong vocabulary hide a listening problem. Put the weak skill into your study plan and use a longer practice set to decide whether the next available sitting is realistic.
This is a planning rule, not a pass guarantee. If a school, employer or visa process requires a particular certificate, check that institution's actual requirement before choosing either level.
Check time and scoring separately
For N5, the current published test times are 20 minutes for vocabulary, 40 for grammar and reading, and 30 for listening. For N4 they are 25, 55 and 35 minutes. The organizers note that times can change and listening length can vary, so check the current test-section page before planning.
The official scoring page lists an overall passing mark of 80 out of 180 for N5 and 90 out of 180 for N4. Both also require at least 38 out of 120 in the combined language knowledge and reading score, and 19 out of 60 in listening. You must take every test section. JLPT scores are scaled; do not treat the percentage correct on a handful of samples as your official score.
Before you register
- Check the test date, registration deadline, fee and any local rules with the host for your city. The exam is not necessarily offered twice a year in every location.
- Use the official samples at both levels, then a longer practice set at the level you are considering.
- Write down your weakest tested skill and the time you actually have before the exam. Our JLPT planner can help divide that time by section.
If you are still deciding whether to take the exam at all, read Is the JLPT worth taking? If you have chosen a level and need materials, compare the JLPT study resources by the specific job they cover.
Sources
- JLPT level summary: Official N4 and N5 reading and listening descriptions.
- JLPT FAQ: Eligibility, choosing a level, test scope and local host guidance.
- Official sample questions: One sample for each test item type, by level.
- Official practice workbook: Official longer practice materials and audio guidance.
- JLPT test sections: N4 and N5 test-section times and item types.
- JLPT scoring: Scaled total and sectional passing scores and attendance requirements.
- JLPT scaled scores: Scaled scores are not a raw count of questions answered correctly.
Prepared by our editorial team with AI assistance. Product details are checked against the sources below.