Stage 046 + 46 characters
かなHiragana and katakana
Sounds, writing and reading for both syllabaries.
JLPT日本語能力試験
The six stages, from kana to N1
The JLPT has five levels, N5 (first steps) to N1 (mastery). Before any of them come the two syllabaries. Each stage below says what it covers and links to what you can study right now.
Stage 1~100 kanji · ~800 words
N5First steps
Introduce yourself, order food, ask for directions.
Stage 2~300 kanji · ~1,500 words
N4Everyday life
Plans, routines, opinions and daily small talk.
Stage 3~650 kanji · ~3,750 words
N3The bridge
Real conversations, basic keigo, short texts.
Kanji list coming later
Stage 4~1,000 kanji · ~6,000 words
N2The real thing
News, work, anime and dramas without subtitles.
Kanji list coming later
Stage 5~2,000 kanji · ~10,000 words
N1Mastery
Literature, nuance and formal language.
Kanji list coming later
Rough numbers per level. The JLPT doesn't publish official lists.
Things people ask.
From zero, with hiragana and katakana, then N5. If you already read kana and know a few hundred words, N5 is still the right place: its kanji and grammar are the base everything else stands on.
Roughly 100 for N5, 300 for N4, 650 for N3, 1,000 for N2 and 2,000 for N1, counting the ones from the levels before. The JLPT publishes no list; these are the numbers most textbooks work from.
It depends on your hours. A common rule of thumb: N5 in 3 to 6 months of regular study, N4 in another 6, N3 a year after that, and N2 and N1 a year or two each. Daily practice beats long sessions.
The path follows the levels, with the kanji, vocabulary and grammar of each one, so what you learn here maps onto the exam. We are not affiliated with the JLPT.
Ready to start?
A free account keeps your progress: hiragana today, your first kanji this week.