How I Passed JLPT N5
Passing the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is a really good indicator of your Japanese level and really makes you feel like all of your studying is worth something. You can now put it on your resume!
Personally, I passed my JLPT N5 in July 2016, after arriving in Japan in March 2015. I did take the N5 in December of that year but was a couple of points off passing!
Hiragana and Katakana
Hiragana is mostly used for grammar points and connecting words, known as particles. Each of these characters has its own sound and it doesn’t often change. These sounds make up the basis of all pronunciation in Japanese so once you’ve mastered these sounds, you should be able to pronounce any Japanese word correctly.
Katakana is used for foreign words that have been imported into Japanese from elsewhere. A lot of these are from English, but some of them aren’t. These have the same sounds as hiragana, just a different way of writing them (to help identify it as a foreign-imported word).
Before moving to Japan, I had spent about 2–3 months studying hiragana and katakana alongside a full-time job. I did this by using a repetition method by using these practice sheets:
Hiragana — http://japanese-lesson.com/resources/pdf/characters/hiragana_writing_practice_sheets.pdf
Katakana — http://japanese-lesson.com/resources/pdf/katakana_writing_practice_sheets.pdf
There are 46 characters to learn which sounds like a lot but a quite a few of them are very similar (か and が for example). Also, as you start to study more, you’ll see these characters written everywhere in textbooks, so it makes it a little easier to remember how to write them and the reading.
The sheets above helped me memorise the 2 most basic alphabets. I tried to practice just for about 10 minutes each day, even if it was just practicing to write one of these characters whilst repeating the reading in my head.
Grammar & Vocab
These two take a bit more time to learn and to remember all of the rules. For the grammar, I used Genki 1 and Genki 2 as this covers nearly all of the grammar points that you will need in order to pass the N5.
The Genki books can be quite time consuming and do require some serious concentration. I’d recommend putting in a considerable amount of time to get through both of these books and really to memorise and start using the grammar points you’re using.
Tips for using grammar points as you learn them:
- Use an app like HelloTalk or Tandem to use them in language exchange conversations
- Start a diary or blog where you can practice these sentences and grammar points
- Writing out examples in a notebook relevant for you (so you could use them in a potential conversation, should the topic arise).
- Taking online lessons from somewhere like Cambly or italki to use them in a conversation with a tutor for practice
I find that if I don’t use what I’m learning, I’m never fully able to remember what it means or how and when to use it.
Throughout Genki there are lists of vocab at the start of each section. I didn’t memorise these enough but you should definitely make the most of these if you can. I found when I did N5 that my vocab (and even to this day) was not as high as it should have been. Luckily I still passed, but it could have been easier! I know memorising this much vocabulary can be very tough but regular review, reading them out loud and even writing them down could help you to remember them.
Kanji
Last but not least — Kanji! There is no official list of kanji you need to know to pass N5, but it’s somewhere between 80–110, which in the grand scheme of things, isn’t that many.
This is just one of many lists you’ll find online to show you which kanji fall into which test, but bear in mind that these are NOT official, so it’s better to learn more than you need, just in case:
For me, the only way to learn Kanji is to write them down and repeat multiple times until it sticks. The Genki 1 & 2 books also have sections for Kanji and these will cover the majority of the N5 kanji.
Some people find it easier to learn the meaning first and then the readings, but I found it was easiest to learn both at the same time, and if possible, learn vocab that uses that kanji. This method was best for me, but you may find a way that works better for you.
A lot of my friends used the “Anki” app with a kanji flashcard deck and reviewed it daily. When you first start using kanji, you need to do a little each day, otherwise it’s very hard to memorise them.
JLPT Test Sections:
- Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) 語彙
This section is 25 minutes long and generally has around 33/34 questions. This means you will have less than a minute for each question. My advice; skim through and answer the ones you definitely know and go back at the end for the ones you’re not sure of — don’t spent too much time on one question.
The first section is mostly choosing the reading for a kanji, or choosing a kanji for the reading.
The second one is a gap fill exercise where you will have a simple sentence and 4 options for the word that goes in the gap.
Lastly, there is a section where you’re given a sentence and the 4 answers are sentences that basically mean the same thing, just written slightly differently. You need to choose the one that has the same, if not very similar meaning as the question.
- Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading 文法・読解
This section is 50 minutes long and has around 32/33 questions. This sounds like quite a lot of time, but the reading section takes some time. My advice for this section; skim through the grammar questions as fast as you can and spend time on the reading section, as this will naturally take the longest.
The first section is another gap fill exercise but this is one mostly filling in a particle or grammar point.
The second section is my least favourite section. You’re given a sentence with 4 blanks. You need to put the answers in order and the word where the star is is your answer.
The third section has a small piece of text and you will be given 4 answers for each of the blanks. You need to choose the most relevant ones to fit.
For the reading section, there are a variety of questions you could be asked about. One of them is the question above which has a small piece of text and you have to choose on sentence that summarises what was discussed in the text.
You could also have something like this where the text explains a situation and you need to choose the photo which matches that description.
This one has a note, or a piece of text and you’ll be asked a question about what was said. For example, in this one you’re asked what he will do with the book after he has done copies.
Now this type of question is the one that is going to take you the most time — you’ll have a large amount of text and a question about a small portion of it. These are the types of questions you want to spend the most time on as it’s not easy to skim through these.
Generally at the very end, you’ll be given an advert or a public notice and be asked a question about this. Sometimes these can be quite tricky to figure out as the answers can be VERY similar and usually a trick answer in there too, so be careful!
- Listening 聴解
This section is 30 minutes long and has multiple different sections, including a short break in the middle.
For the first section, you’ll be given some pictures and you’ll need to listen to some conversation and choose the most relevant answer.
The second section doesn’t have any images, just 4 answers. Usually you’ll hear the question at the beginning and at the end so make a note of it as it will likely help you choose your answer. You can makes notes here, and I would recommend it.
This next section gives you an image and you need to choose the most appropriate thing that they would say in that situation. The answers are not written down, so listen carefully!
The last section doesn’t have anything written down and you will need to listen to both the questions and the answers and choose accordingly. I would strongly recommend writing down the question if you have time to help you figure out the answer.
Conclusion
So for me, finishing both Genki books was most of what I needed for passing the N5, but it’s not just about studying, you need to actually go on to use them too.
So make the most of language exchanges, texting and perhaps writing short Japanese diaries each day.
For the listening section, you can find practices online, such as here; https://jlptsensei.com/downloads/jlpt-n5-practice-test/
For the free practice test papers (images above), you can find them here; https://jlptsensei.com/downloads/jlpt-n5-practice-test/
If you’re not living in Japan and don’t have much opportunity to listen to Japanese regularly, I recommend doing extra practice. Whether that is official N5 listening practice, or YouTube videos, anime etc.
Good luck!
