Japanese Language Proficiency Test
The JLPT is this Sunday. Thousands of people will be traveling to take the test. I won’t be among them, but I do plan to take 1 kyuu one day. I passed 2 kyuu in 2000 and since being back in the States, I have had neither the desire to study as hard as I did while in Japan nor the desire to drive 8 hours to the nearest test city. (mostly the latter)
ABOUT THE TEST
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test tests your proficiency in the Japanese Language. (Wow! Now that was an original definition 
) It is held once a year on the first Sunday in December. It is given throughout Japan and in some 40 other countries. For better or worse, the JLPT has become the standard for measuring Japanese ability for getting into Japanese universities, applying for Japanese related jobs and for general bragging rights.
You do not need to know how to write kanji—only read and know the pronunciations. (Unless this has changed since 2000!) The main sections include:
- Kanji & Vocabulary
- Listening
- Reading
- Grammar
Currently there are four levels; four being the easiest and one being the hardest (I know it seems backward). Level Four can be passed fairly easily with basic Japanese grammar and kanji. Level One requires advanced grammar and all 1945 Joyo kanji.
The following number of kanji and vocabulary requirements is based on the Wikipedia’s article. I will double check tomorrow with my JLPT Specifications Book.
|
Test content and requirements summary |
|||
|
Level |
Kanji |
Vocabulary |
|
|
4 |
103 |
728 |
|
|
3 |
284 |
1409 |
|
|
2 |
1023 |
5035 |
|
|
1 |
1926 |
8009 |
|
I hear they may add a pre-1 level in the next few years. The English proficiency test is set up that way.
For more on the JLPT and to read my ‘testimony,’ see the JLPT page on TJP.
For more ‘official’ information see the Japan Foundation’s JLPT page.
I am going to take 2kyuu!
Dont know if I will pass but….
I think 2kyuu is the hardest, a lot of students said after passing 2kyuu, 1kyuu is not so hard. What do you think of it?
I wanted to take 4kyuu, but since I didn’t know that it was held once a year I couldn’t get registered on time
I’m taking 3-kyuu in Matsumoto
Good luck everybody!
You only get one chance to do this, Mark, so milk it for what it’s worth–If someone asks you what level you are taking say: “san kyuu very much!”
->Darsel– this will give you a chance to start studying for 3kyuu next year!
Ganbatte Mario!
>>after passing 2kyuu, 1kyuu is not so hard.
I guess the main difference is you are simply learning more of the same. After 3 kyuu or so, you’ve got the basic mechanics of the language down and only need to learn more grammatical patterns and kanji.
I’ve never taken it but someone told me there are kanji stroke order questions. Did I hear wrong?
I haven’t taken the test since 2000, but thumbing through last years tests (both 1,2 and 3,4 books), I don’t see questions on the stroke order or stroke number.
Maybe someone who has taken the JLPT recently can chime in.
The kanken (kanji test) does, though.
You’re right Clay, I should be aiming to the 3kyuu next year!
Having a full year to study (and hopefully going to Japan sometime next year) should make it way easier!
Don’t put it off! Start studying now. I think most people don’t start until the Summer before the test.
For me, the grammar section was the hardest. Of course if you haven’t studied kanji much, that should be a focal point too.
Thanks for the advice!
I’m going to start reading “Remembering the Kanji” this week, I also have to keep on using Anki and the DS Kanji Games. Kanji Gym Light is around my hard disk somewhere, and I’m also giving the Japanese Learning Suite a ride!
Remembering the Kanji is GREAT! I bought it last month and am VERY impressed with it!!! 2000 kanji by this time next year for sure!
RTK is pretty controversial. It seems like most teachers and advanced students dislike it a lot.
I personally think it can be a great way to become familiar with a few hundred kanji, but the artificial meanings can be a hindrance especially with advanced kanji. The beginning kanji tend to be more concrete and thus great for the Heisig method, but the more advanced kanji tend to be more abstract.
It may be a good way to get your ‘foot in the door’ but it would be far greater in the long run to memorize words and by doing so, you learn the kanji meaning, pronunciations and useful vocabulary.
Here is a discussion on the pros and cons
http://thejapanesepage.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=15&thread_id=9609
The last thing I want to do is discourage you from using RTK IF that encourages you to study. I went through it a few years ago and was very excited about how it could help beginners. (I already knew most of the kanji then, though) But I really think the advanced kanji should be learned in context instead of given an abstract ‘meaning.’
Well, I’m familiarized with 100 - 200 kanji, I guess it’s worth it to give RTK a try and see how much good it can do for me…
The most important thing is to keep up enthusiasm. I think that is the best thing about RTK; it gives the learner the confidence learning kanji can be done–and it can!