How long to learn japanese to reach N5 N4 N3 N2 N1 level?

How long to learn japanese?

how long to learn japanese? How long does it take you to reach N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 level? JLPT is the most popular exam for foreigners who are learning Japanese.

New Japanese N levels – how many levels in Japanese language?

According to Japan Foundation, Japanese N levels have 5 levels : N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5. The easiest level is N5 and the most difficult level is N1. N4 and N5 measure the level of understanding of basic Japanese mainly learned in class. N1and N2 measure the level of understanding of Japanese used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life. N3 is a bridging level between N1/N2 and N4/N5.

In the past, when the old proficiency system named “kyu” was in use, The Japan International Cooperation Agency announced the amount of time that a beginner has to spend in studying to pass a particular level :

4kyu ~ 150 hours – 3kyu ~ 300 hours  –  2kyu ~ 600 hours – 1kyu ~ 900 hours

When that system was no longer used, they established an equivalent one :

4kyu -> N5   –  3kyu -> N4

Between 3kyu and 2kyu is N3

2kyu -> N2   –   1kyu -> N1

Reference : compare  old jlpt and new jlpt. In terms of content, the new JLPT tends to be more close to actual everyday life in comparison with the old JLPT

So how long to learn Japanese to reach N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 level?

According to the comparison above, we can see the similarity in terms of time of studying that you are supposed to pass a JLPT level :

4kyu ~ N5 ~ 150 hours

3kyu ~ N4 ~300 hours

N3 stays between 3kyu and 4kyu -> perhaps it takes us about 450 hours ~ 500 thours  ;).

2kyu ~ N2 ~600 hours

1kyu ~ N1 ~900 hours

See the following table

how long to learn japanese to reach N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 level?

How long does it take to learn n5 Japanese?

If you spend 5 hours at class and 10 hours self study per week, or 60 hours per month. You are required to study in

N5 ~ 2 months and a half.

How long does it take to complete N4 level?

If you spend 5 hours at class and 10 hours self study per week, or 60 hours per month. You are required to study in 5 months to complete N4 level

How long to reach N3 Japanese?

If you spend 5 hours at class and 10 hours self study per week, or 60 hours per month. You are required to study in 7 months to Reach N3 Japanese

How long does it take to get to n2 japanese

If you spend 5 hours at class and 10 hours self study per week, or 60 hours per month. You are required to study in 10 months to Reach N2 Japanese

How long does it take to get n1 Japanese?

If you spend 5 hours at class and 10 hours self study per week, or 60 hours per month. You are required to study in 15 months to get N1 Japanese

It’s the same with other rows.

That’s what they have said. It seems to be very suspicious and might only be possible with ones who really study with 100% energy.  In fact, many Vietnamese must do it in much longer time, even twice outweight . Especially at N2, N1 level.

Reference : Road to Japanese proficiency

How many hour a day are you studying?

– If you study less than 1 hour a day. It’s Ok if you have already passed N1 or N2. But if you are under N3, it’s a big problem. It’s difficult for you to get improved. You should clearly identify your goal so that you can have more motivation to try ;). (See more: Set goal to learn Japanese).

– From 1 – 2 hours. You must have much concerned about Japanese language. However, if your purpose is to use Japanese in work and daily life, you need to pay more attention to it. Or it will take you much more time to reach the higher levels. Try to increase it to 2 – 3 hours a day. Let’s find an appropriate japanese study method that may help you to be more interested in studying 🙂

– From 2 – 8 hours a day. You’re really focusing on Japanese. Studying Japanese has become a part of your daily life. You should keep this regular routine so that you can progess quickly 😉

– More than 8 hours, even 10 hours a day. Many people with high determination can do this, especially when the examination is close. Let’s use some interesting ways in your study to increase the study efficiency, and avoid stress as well 😀

Above is the post How long does it take you to reach N5, N4, N3, N2, N1 levels? You may like : Methods of studying Japanese.

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8 thoughts on “How long to learn japanese to reach N5 N4 N3 N2 N1 level?

  • 17/09/2018 at 8:38 pm
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    i want to be update with new post…

    Reply
    • 18/09/2018 at 5:39 am
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      Yes, Ravi Verma. We will try to post new post everyday. Which level you are now?

      Reply
  • 10/10/2019 at 12:20 pm
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    Thank you for explanation

    Reply
  • 03/12/2019 at 4:27 pm
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    Hello sensei, please update “Learn Minna no nihongo” Lesson 38 to Lesson 50. Arigatou gozaimasu. 🙂

    Reply
    • 06/12/2019 at 1:05 pm
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      ok Leez Thawatt, we will create lesson 38 to 50 and public soon !

      Reply
  • 28/10/2021 at 6:33 pm
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    Hello! I’ve got a question. You put 600 hours for N2, does this mean that if you are currently at N3, you need additional 600 hours to pass N2? Or is it cumulative from beginner?

    Reply
    • 07/11/2021 at 8:22 am
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      it is for beginer

      Reply
  • 25/02/2022 at 5:29 am
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    Oh man, that’s an interesting set of hours for study time… being I’ve gone through to about N4 in grammar and am about 70% the way through N1 Kanji and Vocab I can certainly say that it can depend a lot of how you study, not so much the hours put in. If you’re studying in incorrect ways, then you’ll be needing more time to then correct the bad habits you pick up. Which is why it’s so important to be going to class so the teachers can help you.

    Reply

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