N5, N4, N3, N2, N1. Five levels, but what do they actually mean? What's the practical difference between passing N4 and passing N2? And most importantly: which level do you need? Here's the honest comparison you won't find on the official site.
Quick Overview
| Level | Kanji | Vocabulary | What You Can Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| N5 | ~100 | ~800 | Basic sentences, introduce yourself, order at restaurants |
| N4 | ~300 | ~1,500 | Simple conversations, read children's manga |
| N3 | ~650 | ~3,750 | Daily life, simplified news, most manga |
| N2 | ~1,000 | ~6,000 | Work in Japan, university, newspapers |
| N1 | ~2,000 | ~10,000 | Everything. Literature, legal documents, sarcasm |
N5: The Prepared Tourist
With N5 you can survive in Japan without looking completely lost. You can read basic menus, understand simple directions, make purchases. But real conversations? Not yet.
It's the 'I've started studying Japanese' level. Useful for showing commitment, not for proving competence.
N4: Communication Begins
N4 is where you start actually communicating, even if in limited ways. You can follow anime without subtitles (the easy ones), read shounen manga with some effort, and have basic conversations with patient Japanese people.
It's the minimum required by some cultural exchange programs. Not for work, but to show you're serious.
N3: The Turning Point
N3 is where many get stuck, but also where everything starts getting interesting. With N3 you can consume real Japanese content: manga, anime, YouTube videos, online articles.
It's the minimum level for some jobs in Japan (hospitality, tourism). Not for responsible positions, but for roles where Japanese is useful, not essential.
N2: The Working Level
N2 is the level that opens doors. Work at Japanese companies? You need N2. University in Japan? N2 minimum. Skilled worker visa? N2 helps enormously.
With N2 you can read newspapers (with some difficulty), follow newscasts, participate in work meetings. You're not fluent yet, but you're functional.
N1: Near-Native
N1 is the summit. Classical literature, legal documents, formal keigo, wordplay, sarcasm. If you pass N1, your Japanese is better than many native Japanese speakers in certain technical areas.
It's required for professional translators, interpreters, executive positions at Japanese companies. Not necessary to live in Japan, but it opens the most exclusive doors.
The Jump Between Levels: It's Not Linear
Warning: difficulty doesn't increase uniformly. Here's how most students perceive it:
- N5 → N4: Manageable jump. More vocabulary, more kanji, same logic.
- N4 → N3: Significant jump. Grammar becomes abstract, texts get longer.
- N3 → N2: Brutal jump. Kanji double, listening speed increases.
- N2 → N1: Massive jump. Rare vocabulary, literary grammar, maximum speed.
Which Level Do You Need?
Depends on your goal:
- Occasional tourism: N5 is enough
- Consume Japanese media: N3 is the practical minimum
- Work in Japan: N2 is the standard requirement
- Translation/interpretation career: N1 is mandatory
- Live in Japan stress-free: N3-N2 for daily life
How Kanjidon Helps at Every Level
Kanjidon organizes kanji by JLPT level. You can focus on exactly what you need: N5 to start, N4 to progress, N3 for the intermediate jump. Each kanji is reviewed at the right time, so you don't forget what you've already studied while learning new ones.
The Bottom Line
The numbers (N5, N4, N3...) are just labels. What matters is what you can do with the Japanese you know. Choose your real goal, then work toward the level that unlocks it. And remember: every level builds on the previous one. There are no shortcuts.
