JLPT N5 Syllabus and Exam Pattern
- ~100 kanji
- ~800 words
- ~80 grammar points
- Pass mark 80/180
Exam pattern
| Section | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Language Knowledge — vocabulary (文字・語彙) | 20 minutes | Part of 120 |
| Language Knowledge — grammar + Reading (文法・読解) | 40 minutes | Part of 120 |
| Listening (聴解) | 30 minutes | 60 |
| Total | ~90 minutes | 180 |
Pass mark: 80/180 overall, with sectional minimums of 38/120 (Language Knowledge & Reading) and 19/60 (Listening). Both must be met.
Scripts
- Hiragana — all 46 base characters plus dakuten (が, ざ, だ, ば), handakuten (ぱ), combined sounds (きゃ, しゅ, ちょ), long vowels and the small っ.
- Katakana — the full set, used for loanwords, foreign names and emphasis, with the ー long-vowel mark.
Grammar covered at N5
Roughly 80 patterns. The core groups are:
- Sentence basics: AはBです, question particle か, negation ではありません, past tense でした
- Particles: は, が, を, に, で, へ, と, も, の, から, まで, や, ね, よ
- Verbs: group 1/2/3 classification, ます form, ません, ました, ませんでした
- て-form: てください, ています, てもいいです, てはいけません
- ない form and ないでください
- Adjectives: い- and な-adjectives, all four tenses, connecting with くて / で
- Existence: あります / います, location words (うえ, した, なか, まえ, うしろ)
- Comparison: より, ほうが, いちばん
- Desire and invitation: たいです, ませんか, ましょう
- Counters: people, objects, thin/long items, time, dates, money
Vocabulary themes
About 800 words, clustered around greetings, numbers, time and dates, family, food and drink, colours, clothes, transport, directions, weather, school and workplace, daily routine, and basic adjectives.
Kanji
Around 100 characters — numbers, days, directions, people, nature and common verbs. See the full N5 kanji list →
A realistic 4-month study plan
| Month | Focus | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Hiragana, katakana, greetings, numbers, first 20 kanji | Read any kana word aloud |
| Month 2 | です sentences, particles, ます-form verbs, 200 words | Introduce yourself for a minute |
| Month 3 | て-form, ない form, adjectives, 60 kanji total | Describe your day and your city |
| Month 4 | Comparison, counters, revision, mock papers | Score 100+ on a timed mock |
Common mistakes Indian learners make at N5
- Learning romaji first. It slows kana reading permanently. Skip it.
- は vs が confusion. Learn it as topic vs subject through examples, not translation.
- Ignoring listening. Listening carries a sectional minimum and is where most failures happen.
- Cramming kanji before the exam. Twenty minutes daily beats a weekend marathon.
- Never speaking. The exam won't test it — your interviewer will.
Questions people ask
What is the JLPT N5 exam pattern?
N5 has two test sections: Language Knowledge (vocabulary) for 20 minutes, then Language Knowledge (grammar) and Reading together for 40 minutes, followed by Listening for 30 minutes. Total scoring is out of 180.
What are the passing marks for JLPT N5?
You need 80 out of 180 overall, plus a sectional minimum of 38/120 in Language Knowledge & Reading combined and 19/60 in Listening. Missing either sectional minimum fails you regardless of total.
How many kanji are in JLPT N5?
Around 100 kanji, along with roughly 800 vocabulary words and about 80 grammar patterns.
How many hours of study does N5 need?
Around 250–450 hours in total for a learner starting from zero, of which roughly 90 are live class hours and the rest self-study. Learners already familiar with kanji from another language usually need less.