JLPT N4: Moving Beyond Beginner Japanese

If JLPT N5 is the first checkpoint in your Japanese journey, N4 is where things start getting more serious. The JLPT has five levels: N5 → N4 → N3 → N2 → N1, with N4 being the second-lowest level.

Officially, JLPT N4 measures: The ability to understand basic Japanese.

That sounds simple, but there is an important difference between N5 and N4. N5 measures whether you can understand some basic Japanese, while N4 expects you to understand basic Japanese more consistently.

That means longer sentences, more grammar, more kanji, more vocabulary, more reading, and more listening. You are still a beginner, but you are no longer standing at the starting line.

What Does JLPT N4 Actually Measure?

An N4 learner should be able to understand basic Japanese. For reading, that means being able to understand passages about familiar everyday topics written using basic vocabulary and kanji.

For listening, you should be able to generally follow conversations encountered in daily life if they are spoken relatively slowly. That is a noticeable step up from N5. At N5, you are working with very short, highly controlled Japanese. At N4, you begin dealing with more connected information.

You are moving from recognizing Japanese toward actually processing Japanese.

What Does the N4 Test Include?

JLPT N4 is divided into three test sections.

Language Knowledge — Vocabulary

25 minutes

This section checks your understanding of basic vocabulary and written Japanese. You may encounter questions involving:

• Kanji readings

• Word meanings

• Appropriate vocabulary in context

• Written forms

• Similar expressions

Language Knowledge — Grammar and Reading

55 minutes

This section checks whether you understand grammar and can use that knowledge while reading. You may need to:

• Choose the correct grammar pattern

• Put sentence elements in the correct order

• Understand short passages

• Identify the main point

• Locate specific information in written material

Listening

35 minutes

This section checks whether you can understand basic spoken Japanese in familiar situations. You may need to follow conversations and identify what happened, what somebody plans to do, what somebody wants, where something is, or which information matters most.

There Is Still No Speaking Test

Just like N5, JLPT N4 does not directly test speaking. It also does not include a free-writing composition section, so somebody can pass N4 and still struggle to hold a natural conversation. Students sometimes foolishly assume that a Higher JLPT level means that you are a better speaker of Japanese. Not necessarily. The JLPT primarily measures language knowledge, reading, and listening. Those are important skills, but speaking is its own skill. If your goal is to communicate in Japanese, keep speaking while you prepare for the JLPT. Do not let test preparation become your entire Japanese education.

At N4, Kana Should Be Automatic

At N5, I tell students to stop relying on romaji. At N4, I would go further:

Hiragana and katakana should no longer be the problem. You should not still be sounding out every kana character one by one. If you are spending too much mental energy decoding: きょう into: Kyou, you are going to have a rough time.

By N4, kana should feel close to automatic. Your attention needs to move toward vocabulary, grammar, kanji, sentence structure, and meaning. That is an important stage in learning to read Japanese. The writing system begins to stop being the main obstacle.

The Japanese itself becomes the obstacle. That is progress.

How Many Kanji Do You Need for N4?

This is where older JLPT advice can be misleading. You will often see claims such as: “N4 requires approximately 300 kanji.” Treat that as an estimate.

The modern JLPT does not publish a fixed official N4 kanji list, so there is no magic number that guarantees you are ready. Unofficial kanji lists can still be useful study tools, but there is a major difference between common kanji associated with N4 and an official JLPT N4 kanji syllabus.

At this level, you should be increasingly comfortable recognizing kanji associated with familiar everyday topics such as:

• Family

• School

• Work

• Transportation

• Weather

• Shopping

• Directions

• Common activities

• Places

• Health

• Daily routines

• Common verbs and adjectives

More importantly, you need to recognize kanji inside actual words and sentences.

Knowing that: 開 has something to do with “opening” is useful. Knowing the difference between: 開ける and 開く is much more useful.

Vocabulary Is Becoming More About Usage

At N4, it is no longer enough to memorize one English definition for every Japanese word. You need to understand how the word behaves.

For example:

• 開ける（あける）To open something (transitive verb)

• 開く（あく）Something opens (intransitive verb)

Compare:

ドアを開けました。I opened the door.

and:

ドアが開きました。The door opened.

Both words may appear in an English vocabulary list as “open,” but that does not mean they work the same way.

This is one of the transitions you begin making around N4. You must stop thinking like: Japanese word = English word.

Instead, you need to start thinking like this: Japanese word = meaning + grammar + usage + context.

That is a much more useful way to learn vocabulary.

How Much Vocabulary Do You Need?

There is no official modern N4 vocabulary count. You will find estimates online, with some resources suggesting roughly 1,500 total words by the time you reach N4 and others giving different numbers. Treat those numbers as study guidelines rather than official JLPT requirements. At N4, your vocabulary should begin expanding beyond the extremely basic material associated with N5.

You should be increasingly comfortable with vocabulary involving:

• Daily routines

• Family

• Food

• Work

• School

• Shopping

• Transportation

• Health

• Weather

• Travel

• Plans

• Preferences

• Experiences

• Simple opinions

• Common emotions

The bigger change is not merely how many words you know. It is whether you can understand those words when they appear in sentences you have never memorized before.

What Grammar Should You Know?

The modern JLPT does not publish a fixed official N4 grammar list either. But N4 generally expands substantially beyond the most basic sentence patterns.

You should expect to encounter areas such as:

• More verb conjugations

• Potential expressions

• Passive expressions

• Giving and receiving

• Plans and intentions

• Reasons and explanations

• Comparisons

• Conditions

• Connecting ideas

• Obligations

• Permissions

• Prohibitions

• Experiences

• Changes of state

• Expressing ease or difficulty

• Describing actions before or after other actions

Examples include:

• Verb(Stem)やすい - Easy to do

• Verb(Stem)にくい - Difficult to do

For example:

• この本は読みやすいです。This book is easy to read.

• この漢字は覚えにくいです。This kanji is difficult to remember.

The goal is not to memorize a giant “N4 grammar list.” The goal is to understand basic Japanese when those patterns appear naturally.

Reading is Where N4 Starts To Feel Different

This is one of the biggest changes from N5. At N5, much of the reading is short and highly controlled. At N4, you start dealing with more connected text. You may encounter short notices, simple messages, schedules, everyday information, short explanations, and passages about familiar subjects.

The challenge begins shifting from: “Do I know this word?” to: “Can I understand what this whole passage is telling me?”

That requires kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and context to work together.

That is real reading.

Listening Gets Less Forgiving

N4 listening is still slower and more controlled than natural Japanese, but it requires more sustained attention than N5. You may have to follow enough of a conversation to determine what somebody will do next, where somebody is going, which item they will choose, what time something will happen, why something happened, or what one speaker wants another person to do.

The important skill is not understanding every single word. It is learning to identify the information that matters. That skill becomes more important at every higher JLPT level.

How Is N4 Scored?

JLPT N4 is scored out of 180 points, with an overall passing score of 90 / 180. But your total score is not the only thing that matters.

Like the N5, the N4 also has two scoring sections:

• Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar) + Reading:0–120 points

• Listening:0–60 points

To pass N4, you need:

• At least 90 points overall

• At least 38 / 120 in Language Knowledge and Reading

• At least 19 / 60 in Listening
  

If you fall below a sectional minimum, you fail even if your overall score is high enough.

So do not completely neglect listening. Balanced preparation matters.

JLPT Scores Are Not Simple Percentages

Your JLPT score is not simply: Number of questions correct ÷ total questions. The JLPT uses scaled scoring. That means your final score is calculated using a statistical method designed to make results comparable across different versions of the exam.

So, if you receive: 90 / 180, that does not necessarily mean: “I answered exactly 50% of the questions correctly.” That is not how JLPT scoring works.

N4 Is Still Beginner Japanese

Let me make this very clear. Passing N4 does not mean: “I am fluent in Japanese.” It does not mean: “I can work professionally in Japanese.” And it does not mean: “I can understand everything people say to me in Japan.”

N4 is still beginner-level Japanese, but it is a stronger beginner foundation. There is a big difference between knowing a handful of basic phrases and being able to read short passages and follow slow everyday conversations. That difference matters.

Is N4 Enough to Travel in Japan?

N4 knowledge can absolutely help. You may be better equipped to understand transportation, restaurants, shopping, hotels, schedules, basic signs, common questions, and familiar everyday situations. But I would be careful with claims such as: “Pass N4 and traveling in Japan will be easy.”

Remember that the JLPT does not test speaking. Somebody may have N4-level reading and listening ability and still freeze when a stranger suddenly asks them a question at natural speed. Meanwhile, another learner with a lower JLPT level but extensive speaking practice may handle travel very well. N4 gives you a useful foundation, but what you can do with that foundation depends on what else you practice.

Is N4 Enough for a Job?

Usually not for a job that genuinely requires Japanese. N4 can demonstrate that you have built a foundation and are seriously studying the language. That may be useful in situations where Japanese ability is a bonus rather than a requirement.

But if a job expects you to communicate professionally in Japanese, participate in meetings, read business documents, write formal correspondence, interpret, or translate, N4 is nowhere near enough.

And that is fine. N4 is not designed to certify professional Japanese ability.

So Why Take N4?

There are several good reasons.

1. It Shows That Your Foundation Is Growing

N5 says something like: “I have started learning Japanese.”

N4 moves closer to: “I can understand basic connected Japanese.”

That is meaningful progress.

2. It Forces You Beyond Memorized Phrases

At the very beginning, learners often survive on expressions such as:

• こんにちは。

• ありがとうございます。

• これは何ですか。
  

By N4, that is not enough. You need to understand conjugation, sentence relationships, connected passages, more varied vocabulary, and more complex grammar. You must process Japanese created by somebody other than your textbook dialogue.

That is much closer to actual language use.

3. It Gives You a Bridge to N3

This may be N4's biggest strategic value. N3 is where the JLPT begins transitioning from basic Japanese toward more intermediate material, which means your N4 foundation matters.

If your basic grammar is weak, N3 gets harder. If your reading is weak, N3 gets harder. If your kanji recognition is weak, N3 gets harder, and the same is true for listening.

N4 helps strengthen the floor you will stand on later.

Should You Skip N4?

Maybe. You do not have to take every JLPT level in order. There is no rule requiring N5 → N4 → N3 → N2 → N1 one at a time. If your Japanese ability is already comfortably above N4, there is no reason to take an exam that is too easy simply because it comes next numerically. Use official sample questions and practice material.

If N4 feels easy, move up.

If N4 exposes major weaknesses? Good. Now you know what needs work.

How I Would Prepare for N4

If one of my students told me, “I want to pass N4,” I would expect more than flashcard memorization. You should be doing regular kanji study, vocabulary in context, grammar practice, short reading passages, listening practice, sentence production, and actual conversation practice even though the JLPT does not directly test it.

At N4, isolated vocabulary cards stop being enough. You need Japanese connected to other Japanese. Instead of memorizing: 必要（ひつよう） = necessary, learn it in something like: パスポートが必要です。A passport is necessary.

Instead of memorizing: 決める（きめる） = decide, learn: 旅行の日を決めました。I decided the date of the trip. Context teaches you more than translation alone ever will.

Use the Official JLPT Practice Material

Third-party study resources can be excellent, but you should also use official JLPT practice material. That includes sample questions, official practice workbooks, and listening audio.

You need to know what the actual test looks and feels like. Knowing Japanese and knowing how to take the JLPT are not the same skill.

You should understand the question styles, pacing, reading format, listening format, and how quickly you need to make decisions.

You do not want test day to be the first time you see the structure.

A Simple N4 Readiness Checklist

Before attempting N4, ask yourself:

• Can I read hiragana and katakana automatically?

• Can I recognize common beginner kanji in context?

• Can I understand basic verb and adjective conjugations without stopping to decode every form?

• Can I understand short passages about familiar everyday topics?

• Can I follow relatively slow everyday conversations?

• Can I distinguish similar vocabulary based on how it is used?

• Can I understand the main point of a passage even if I do not know every word?

• Can I complete official N4 sample questions within the time limit?

• Can I concentrate through a longer reading section without mentally falling apart?

If most of those answers are yes, you may be ready.

If most are no, that is not failure. That is your study plan.

The Real Difference Between N5 and N4

Think of it this way.

• At N5, you are proving: “I recognize the basic pieces of Japanese.”

• At N4, you are beginning to prove: “I can put those pieces together.”

That does not make you fluent or professionally proficient, but it does mean Japanese is starting to become something you can process instead of simply decode.

And that is a big deal.

Quick Reference: JLPT N4

• Level: Second-lowest JLPT level

• Official ability description: Ability to understand basic Japanese

• Vocabulary section: 25 minutes

• Grammar and Reading section: 55 minutes

• Listening section: 35 minutes

• Speaking test: No

• Free-writing composition: No

• Maximum score: 180

• Overall passing score: 90

• Language Knowledge + Reading minimum: 38 / 120

• Listening minimum: 19 / 60

• Official fixed kanji list: No

• Official fixed vocabulary list: No

• Official fixed grammar list: No

• Best use of N4: Strengthening your beginner foundation and preparing for the transition toward intermediate Japanese

• Professional Japanese certification: No

• Proof of fluency: Not

• Worth taking: Yes, if it matches your current ability
  

N4 Is Still Beginner Japanese — And That Is Fine

Language learners sometimes become obsessed with impressive labels. Everybody wants N2, N1, or “fluent.” But all those levels are built on the Japanese underneath them. If your N4 foundation is weak, N3 gets harder. If your N3 foundation is weak, N2 gets harder. And if you spend your entire Japanese education memorizing test answers without understanding the language, that eventually catches up with you.

So do not be embarrassed by N4. Use it for what it is: A checkpoint. Learn the vocabulary, grammar, and kanji. Read more, listen more, and speak more.

And when basic Japanese stops feeling quite so basic?

Move on to N3.