Level guide · Updated September 2026

JLPT N4

Everyday Japanese: familiar topics, basic vocabulary and kanji, slow conversations.

Can-do statement (official): Read passages on familiar daily topics written in basic vocabulary and kanji. Follow conversations about everyday matters spoken slowly.

At a glance

Vocabulary	about 1,500 words
Kanji	about 300 kanji
Study hours	575 to 1,000 hours (lower end with a kanji background)
Test time	115 minutes
Pass mark	90 / 180; sectional minimums: 38 / 120 on language knowledge and reading combined, 19 / 60 on listening
Typical pass rate	around 35 to 40%

Sections and timing

言語知識（文字・語彙） Vocabulary	25 min
言語知識（文法）・読解 Grammar and reading	55 min
聴解 Listening	35 min

Question types

Every N4 paper follows the same layout. Learn what each 問題 asks and the paper stops being a surprise.

文字・語彙

問題1 漢字読み Kanji reading
問題2 表記 Orthography
問題3 文脈規定 Contextual words
問題4 言い換え類義 Paraphrase
問題5 用法 Usage

文法・読解

問題1 文の文法1 Grammar form
問題2 文の文法2 Sentence ordering ★
問題3 文章の文法 Text grammar
問題4 短文 Short passages
問題5 中文 Mid-length passage
問題6 情報検索 Information retrieval

聴解

問題1 課題理解 Task
問題2 ポイント理解 Point
問題3 発話表現 Utterance (pictures)
問題4 即時応答 Quick response

Our bank currently holds 228 N4 questions from 3 past papers, tagged by the question types above.

Full-length mock papers, built from sample questions

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Item counts per 問題 shift by one or two between sessions. Format checked against jlpt.jp in September 2026.