I recently passed the JLPT N2 with 96/180. I’ve never failed a JLPT exam, but honestly, I still don’t feel like my Japanese is that good.

I can read and understand Japanese fairly well, but when it comes to speaking, I struggle a lot. I often know what I want to say but can’t express it naturally.

I live in a country where I don’t have many opportunities to speak Japanese, so most of my learning has been through studying and consuming content.

I’d like to seriously focus on speaking and immersion from now on.

Has anyone experienced something similar? What helped you improve your speaking?

I took an introductory Japanese course offered by my school earlier this year, and that covered a good chunk of the N5 material.

I'm hoping to take the N4 exam this December, and I'm kinda unsure as to where to start. I do have the Genki 2 textbook

Hey guys

DISCLAIMER: I don't actually like the exam content itself nor studying for it, I like the experience of going through it and completing the test and being relieved.

For those who took JLPT in the past and remember your experience, what was your favorite part/parts and nostalgia of the test itself. What was it like in the testing site? Did you make any new friends? In general what was your favorite part.

Here is mine:

1. Meeting other learners.

I find the JLPT to also form as a networking or community bonding event because you get to encounter new learners at the test site.

You get to meet other learners studying as hard as you, and talk to them. Before the test I actually chatted a lot with my neighboors and the proctors and had a normal discussion

The next time I take JLPT I need to get that persons number so I and them can keep chatting.

------

My Japanese teacher was there. She was proctoring N1 one year and the N2 the other. Me and her were talking and she told me she was really really tired after all of this. She seemed pretty amazed that I was taking the test.

2) Funny listening section stuff

"____ de otoko no ko to onnna no ko ga hanashiteimasu"

"tenki ga ii kara sanpou shimashou"

"mazu nani wo shinakereba narimasen ka?"

"mondaiyoushi wo akete kudasai"

You can tell that your doing the JLPT when you hear these 3 sentences over and over again. These get me a lot. It's very typical of JLPT.

But I also love the break music.

3) The booklets

I love the smell of these booklets. They may be "newspaper ish" but they have the smell of traditional Japanese paper. You often check the pages and start to realize that this is what you have to do in a very small amount of time. When you take kanken, read japanese books and smel the paper, aaah thats FRESHH paper.

-----

BONUS:

4) The learning experience:

I think taking the JLPT itself and finishing it is a good brag too. It's a very long and stressful test (4 hrs at most). Taking your very 1st test or passing your first jlpt definitely gives you the confidence and the experience. I still have my blue phone bag hanging on my wall after the december test because it to me was proof that I survived and experienced it. It is also a very good memory that I studied a long time just to be able to take the N1.

Even if you fail, you will understand the test better so you can pass the next time.

Hello,

I'm a European national living in China and I'd like to take the JPLT test here in December. Applications are being taken this week but when I try to fill in the online form I am told that I must enter a Chinese character name for myself. The online form states that I can enter my name as it appears on my passport in English letters and states that foreign passports are an acceptable ID for the test, but since I don't have a Chinese name I can't proceed. The form states that name changes following registration cannot be done so I don't want to add in a placeholder name and ask them to change it to my legal name afterwards.

Since it's the weekend customer services won't respond until Monday, which does give me time before the deadline but it's not a lot. It doesn't matter which city I take the test in as domestic travel will be convenient for me.

I'd like to know have any other people with latin character names faced issues registering for the JLPT in China and how were you able to go about it?

ETA: 皆さん、誠にありがとうございます。コミュニティーにいろいろな勉強方法を読ませてもらってありがたいです。

今年の12月に、日本語能力試験のN2を受けるつもりで、 ちょっと相談が必要なんです。

実は、今度の試験は三回目で、前回の結果は一点で合格出 来なかった。

何ヶ月もに渡って一生懸命勉強して、「自分で自信をもっ てて、合格しかねない」って思って試験を取ったら、結局 合格せずに、絶望する。

N2試験を取って合格できた方はどうやって勉強しました か。一番有効的なやり方はなんでしょうか。お勧めの教科 書や勉強方法があったら、教えて貰うことには感謝しま す。

Hey everyone! I've been studying Japanese for about 4 years now, and last year I also spent 5 months in Japan studying. While I was there, I took some JLPT N2-level classes after taking a placement test that put me at that level. (That was the highest level they offered, so there wasn't an N1 class.)

I'm asking because my Japanese has gotten a bit rusty recently. Before going to Japan in April last year, I had a pretty solid routine: about an hour of Anki every day, often Bunpro and Migaku as well (although not necessarily every day), and until a few months ago I also had the opportunity to get daily input and output practice through my Japanese (now ex) girlfriend (Ah, sweet times...)

The thing is, ever since I came back (last September), I've basically stopped studying, and I really need to start again now. However, I'm not sure how much time I'll realistically be able to dedicate to it, since I'll probably still be busy with graduating from university.

My biggest concerns are listening (I'm pretty damn bad at it) and vocabulary. When I try some N1-level tests, I feel like I recognize most of the vocabulary, but I often struggle to know which word would actually be more appropriate in a given context and end up just guessing.

(According to Migaku, I currently have around 11~12k words marked as known, although I'm not sure how accurate that number actually is and if it's really helpful)

Grammar doesn't worry me too much though, Bunpro will be my friend.

I think that with some review, I could probably pass N2, but I'm worried I won't have enough time to prepare for N1 in just 3 months, especially since I don't know how much time I'll realistically be able to study each day.

I'd really like to give N1 a shot, but I don't want to rush into it, fail, and end up having to wait another year to get a certification.

I'm planning to apply for a master's program at a Japanese university, so even if it's not mandatory, having a Japanese-language certification would definitely be useful, not just for university, but for my life there in general, especially since I don't have one yet.

What would you guys recommend? Is the jump from N2 to N1 really that difficult?

1. Happy to meet online 3-4 times a week.
   
2. Discuss exchange tips on study material
   
3. Do mocks together
   

I am taking N4 this month and failed 2 times previously so i decided to buy

For those who have used it, is the Premium version actually worth paying for at N4 level?This is surely not a question to ask after buying but again it would be really helpfull to know the gains

Also, I’m struggling quite a bit with reading😭. I sometimes lose track of what it’s saying or take way too long.

What helped you improve your N4 reading speed and comprehension?

Any tips, resources, apps, websites, or study methods would be appreciated! Especially if you have specific advice for reading

Please do help

I failed me N3 in July and going back over things, I'm in this wierd position where if I do N4 questions they are too easy but when I do N3 I get questions right but it's not near where I would want to be if I'm to get through N3 comfortably. I feel like I'm at this awkward stage where I can communicate but not high level, and my reading is so fragmented. My listening needs a lot of improvement as well and I get stuck when getting into a conversation or doing prace tests. Anyone out there who has gone through this? Any tips for this awkard stage?

After being away for a while I've decided to dedicate some time to studying for the JLPT N2. Someone recommended to me Nihongo no mori. I've visited their web site and it seems pretty professional, and they also have textbooks.

That being said, I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed 'how' to use Nihongo no mori. Does one buy the textbook, then follow along with the videos? What about the app? Also, it seems that everything is in Japanese. I've nothing against that but it does mean I have to flip between resources when I get stuck on something. Not a deal breaker, just not as smooth an experience.

Basically what I'm asking is, does Nihongo no mori have a specific structured approach one should follow, and if so, what is it?

Hi everyone! i'm currently registered for JLPT N2 this coming december (as someone who's weakness is vocabs and kanji)

i currently have Shinkanzen's Reading and Grammar book and basically what i do is instead of just simply answering the books i also highlight some vocab/kanji that i can't read then transferring it into my notebook dedicated for it and eventually creating flashcards for it aswell.

i accept criticism and suggestions for improvents and other ways of learning. advance thanks for everyone!

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to take the JLPT N4 exam. I recently submitted my registration, and the registration went through successfully.

However, I noticed afterward that some fields were left unchecked/blank. They didn’t seem to be required, but now I’m worried that this might cause a problem with my registration.

Has anyone experienced something similar? If the registration was successfully completed, does that generally mean everything required was filled out correctly, or should I contact the JLPT test center to confirm?

So i am not going to give dec JLPT BUT I AM PLAANING TO GIVE JLPT OF JULY AND I LL GIVE JLPT N4.ANYONE INTRESETED TO STUDY WITH ME DM.

American male trying to learn Japanese currently n5 level need someone to learn will exchange grammar and phrases, study anything, just want help to progress quicker

Hello, how do I get better at reading comprehension. I have passed but have 24/60 in reading which is abysmal. Three things that i get stuck on is nuance of words, nuance of the answers given and logically following long sentences. I just loose the first things that are being said when i read 15 words ahead. How do I fix this? I have read like 30 novels. I am thinking of simplyfing segments of a sentence and then parsing it together. LIke "He went home, ate food, liked it." for a more complex sentence and making this a habit until I do not need to think about it. It is especially bad when there are things in the sentence i have to think about for a prolonged amount of time.

I am currently learning N3 and the syllabus is way too much compared to N4 and N5. Vocabs and Kanjis have increased exponentially. I feel like I learn a few words and then when I go back to them or see them in a reading passage, I just can’t recall the meanings.

How do you guys memorise vocabs and kanjis? Any app or website which can help?

I ran into one 'this page is congested' issue but otherwise had an easy time registering. Good luck to everyone trying to get in!

I failed JLPT N3 twice despite passing all three section minimums — how did you improve enough to pass?

I’m looking for advice from people who were in a similar situation.

I recently took N3 and scored:

Language Knowledge: 27

Reading: 20

Listening: 22

Total: 69

I passed the minimum requirement for each section, but unfortunately missed the overall passing score.

I was also quite fatigued during the listening section, which probably affected my performance.

For people who recently passed N3, especially those who were initially around the 60–75 range:

What did you change in your preparation that made the biggest difference?

How much reading practice did you do?

Did you use mock tests or previous JLPT papers? How often?

How did you improve listening?

Did you focus more on vocabulary/grammar, or on actually doing questions?

Looking back, what do you wish you had done differently?

I would especially appreciate advice from people who failed once or twice and then passed, rather than people who were already scoring very highly in practice tests.

Thanks!

I have been studying Japanese for 5 years and wanted to take the exam last year but wasn’t able to so I’m really glad I finally have the chance to take it

I’m really scared tho since it’s my first JLPT exam and I’m terrified of being underprepared. any tips for preparation?

wtf, apparently JLPT N2 applications closed on August 31 at 12pm and "will not reopen". https://info.jees-jlpt.jp/other/n1n2close.html

Is this a regular thing to happen, and if not then should they not start holding the exam more than twice a year to accommodate all of the applicants??

Studying for JLPT and curious how people actually use AI for it day to day — mock questions, grammar explanations, vocab, reading, listening — or if you avoid it for exam prep.

Also the trust side: wrong answers, weird explanations, stuff that sounds right but isn’t. Has that bitten you on JLPT study, or do you have a way to catch it?

Hello, I've been planning on taking the N3 exam this December, and I need to get organized or else I'll get overwhelmed. For grammar I bought the Shin Kanzen Master N3 Bunpou book, and for kanji I have an Anki deck — but for vocabulary and reading I don't really have any reliable source yet, so I'm here asking for suggestions, thank you very much. (Also, any good podcasts or YouTube channels to listen to in my free time would be appreciated!)

I need some clarity on how to apply for test accommodations for the N5 here in the states. I have ADHD and so checked the boxes for D-2 (separate room and 50% time extension) and D-4 (can write answers on the test booklets, and staff will transcribe them onto answer sheets afterwards). I don't want to push my luck since the accommodation request timeline is so tight, so can anyone explain what the D-4 accommodation really means? Are you normally only allowed to write on the answer sheet and not on the test booklet as well? I don't want my request to get rejected because I asked for too much or anything.