JLPT N5 Guide: Exam Pattern, Pass Marks, Kanji, Practice Questions and Registration in India

Dr. Jayanthy Ramakrishnan

06/11/2026

7 min read

The JLPT N5 is the first and easiest level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. It checks whether you can read simple sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji, and follow short, slowly spoken conversations about daily life and the classroom.

This guide covers what the N5 exam tests, its sections and timing, the pass mark, what the JLPT says about vocabulary and kanji, where to find official practice papers, a set of practice questions we wrote, and how to register in India. Every rule here comes from the official JLPT site, jlpt.jp, read on 3 November 2026. For all five levels side by side, see our JLPT exam guide for India.

What does the JLPT N5 test?

The Japan Foundation describes N5 as “the ability to understand some basic Japanese” (level summary). In practice that means two things:

• Reading: you can read and understand typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji.
• Listening: you can follow conversations about everyday and classroom topics, and pick out the information you need from short conversations spoken slowly.

The JLPT says N4 and N5 measure basic Japanese “mainly learned in class”. Like every JLPT level, N5 has no speaking or writing section: every question is multiple choice.

What are the JLPT N5 sections and timing?

N5 is taken in three timed sections, 90 minutes in all (official test sections page). The question types in each section are from the Japan Foundation’s N5 purposes of test items.

The vocabulary and grammar-reading times were shortened from the December 2020 test, with fewer questions; the JLPT FAQ says the difficulty and content did not change. The Japan Foundation notes that section times can change and the listening time can vary slightly with the recording.

What is the JLPT N5 pass mark?

N5 is scored out of 180, in two scoring sections. To pass you need both the overall pass mark and the minimum in each section (official scoring page):

The vocabulary paper and the grammar-and-reading paper are sat separately but scored together. The JLPT FAQ explains why: at the basic stage, language knowledge and reading overlap too much to score apart. If one section falls below its minimum, you fail however high your total is, and missing any section also means a fail. A candidate who passes N5 gets a CEFR reference of A1 on the score report (CEFR reference).

How many kanji and words do you need for JLPT N5?

The JLPT does not publish an official N5 kanji list, vocabulary list or grammar list. The JLPT FAQ says it stopped publishing its “Test Content Specifications” at the 2010 revision, because the test measures whether you can use the language to communicate rather than how many items you have memorised. In their place it points learners to the level summary, the question types and the official sample questions.

Two official facts help you judge the scope:

• N5 matches the old Level 4. The FAQ says a learner able to pass Level 4 of the pre-2010 test can pass N5.
• The reading texts are short. The longest N5 passages are about 250 characters, written about everyday life.

N5 kanji lists and “1,000 essential words” books are compiled by publishers and websites, not by the JLPT. They are useful study tools, but treat their numbers as estimates rather than as the syllabus.

Where can you find JLPT N5 past papers?

The JLPT does not publish complete past papers. What it does publish, free, is a full-length N5 practice set on its sample questions page: the N5 section of the 2012 Official Practice Workbook, with questions chosen from real tests since 2010, plus the listening audio, the script, a sample answer sheet and the answers. A second volume of the workbook (2018) is sold in print.

Those questions are copyrighted by the JLPT organisers, so we do not reproduce them here. Sit the official set under timed conditions first; it is the closest thing to a past paper that exists.

Galvanize practice questions for JLPT N5

These questions are original Galvanize practice, written in the style of N5. They are not from a JLPT paper and are not official JLPT material. Choose one answer for each.

1. Kanji reading. How is the underlined word read? あしたは 水曜日です。

1. すいようび
2. みずようび
3. すうようび
4. かようび

Answer: 1. 水曜日 (すいようび) is Wednesday. かようび is Tuesday (火曜日).

2. Orthography. Which is the correct way to write the underlined word? まいにち コーヒーを のみます。

1. 毎日
2. 海日
3. 毎目
4. 母日

Answer: 1. 毎日 means every day. The other choices swap in kanji that look similar.

3. Grammar. Which word goes in the blank? わたしは まいあさ パン（　）たべます。

1. を
2. に
3. が
4. で

Answer: 1. を marks the thing being eaten: パンを たべます, “I eat bread”.

4. Words in context. Which word fits? きょうは さむいですから、（　）を きます。

1. コート
2. くつ
3. ぼうし
4. めがね

Answer: 1. きます (to wear) is used for clothes on the body, such as a coat. Shoes take はきます, a hat かぶります and glasses かけます.

5. Reading. Read the note and answer the question.

たなかさんへ　きょうは 3じに としょかんの まえで まって います。　やまだ

やまださんは どこで まって いますか。

1. としょかんの まえ
2. としょかんの なか
3. えきの まえ
4. がっこうの なか

Answer: 1. The note says としょかんの まえ, in front of the library.

How do you register for JLPT N5 in India?

You register with the host institution in your test city, not with a national body. India has eight JLPT cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Karur and Santiniketan, which holds only the July test (official list of overseas test cities, as of 11 September 2026). Our JLPT dates and India centres page names the host for each city.

1. Pick N5 on the host’s form. You register for one level per session.
2. Apply in the host’s window. Outside Japan, registration runs around March to April for the July test and around August to September for the December test, but each city sets its own dates (overseas test process).
3. Pay the host’s fee. Each host sets its own. As one example, MOSAI, the New Delhi host, charged Rs 2,200 including GST for N4 and N5 for the December 2026 test, and Rs 2,500 for N1 to N3 (MOSAI JLPT December 2026 notice). Other cities may charge differently.
4. Keep your Test Voucher. The host sends this admission ticket before the test; bring it with the photo ID the host asks for. In New Delhi, N3, N4 and N5 are held in the afternoon session.

When is the next JLPT N5 exam?

N5 is held on the same days as every other level. The 2026 tests are on Sunday 5 July 2026 and Sunday 6 December 2026 (jlpt.jp). MOSAI’s notice showed December 2026 registration as closed when we checked on 3 November 2026, so if you have not registered, plan for July 2027. The Japan Foundation had not published the 2027 dates by then.

Results go online first and the paper score report follows through your host; the JLPT dates page has the timeline for each session.

Is JLPT N5 enough to study in Japan?

N5 is a starting point, not an admission level. Most English-taught degrees in Japan ask for English rather than any JLPT level, while Japanese-taught degrees usually expect N2 or higher. N5 still helps with daily life and shows a university that you have started the language. If you plan to keep going, a Japanese language school in Japan is a common route; our guide to studying Japanese at a language school in Japan explains how it works, and the Japanese you need for a master’s in Japan covers the level each route asks for.

If you are planning a degree in Japan and want help choosing programmes, deciding on the language route or applying for scholarships, talk to our Japan admissions team.