Practice JLPTJLPT Guide
JLPT N5 vs N4: What's the Difference?
Choosing between N5 and N4? Here's what separates them — content, test format and difficulty — and how to pick the right one for you.
Quick answer
- N5 (beginner): You can understand some basic Japanese: everyday phrases written in hiragana, katakana and simple kanji, and short, slow conversations.
- N4 (elementary): You can understand basic Japanese: everyday topics written in familiar vocabulary, and daily conversations spoken slowly.
- Rule of thumb: the step up roughly doubles the kanji and vocabulary you need.
N5 vs N4 at a glance
| JLPT N5 | JLPT N4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Beginner | Elementary |
| Kanji (typical target) | ≈100 | ≈300 |
| Vocabulary (typical target) | ≈800 words | ≈1,500 words |
| Grammar points (our list) | 94 | 116 |
| Test length | 90 minutes | 115 minutes |
| Scores you receive | 2 sections | 2 sections |
| Pass mark | 80 / 180 | 90 / 180 |
| CEFR when you pass | A1 | A2 |
Kanji/vocabulary targets are cumulative and unofficial — the JLPT hasn't published official lists since 2010. Grammar counts link to this site's free study lists.
What N4 adds over N5
N4 takes the survival Japanese of N5 and makes it usable day to day. Grammar roughly doubles in scope — the te-form in all its uses, potential form ('can do'), conditionals, giving and receiving verbs — and the kanji and vocabulary loads both roughly double too. The test itself is also 25 minutes longer. The format stays friendly, though: like N5, everything except listening pools into one combined score.
Which one should you take?
If you're within your first year of steady study, N5 gives you a clean early win and exam experience. If you can already read all kana without thinking, know ~300 kanji and handle everyday phrases, skip straight to N4 — universities and employers rarely ask for N5, so N4 is where the certificate starts to carry weight.
There are no prerequisites — you can register for any level directly, and skipping levels is common. The best gauge: try a past-paper N5 practice test and a N4 one, and see which pass mark you're closer to.