The JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) has five levels ranging from N5 to N1, and N2 is the second hardest among them. To pass the JLPT N2, test takers need to be able to comprehend clearly written and spoken Japanese used in various contexts in everyday life.
As a Satori Reader user (and intern) with three years of studying under my belt, I decided to put my skills to the test by taking the JLPT N2.
In this blog post, I’ll share my tips for how to study for the JLPT N2 and the resources I would recommend for anyone who aspires to pass the exam.
Table Of Contents
N2 Vocabulary/Kanji
Kanji is arguably the most important part to study.
I failed when I took the JLPT N2 for the first time mostly due to my lack of kanji knowledge. It quickly dawned on me that the JLPT tested how much kanji I knew throughout every section of the exam. Even the listening section demands test takers to read kanji in the multiple choice answers.
Before I took the test a second time, I created a deck of flashcards, which significantly boosted my ability to recognize kanji. I started reviewing my flashcards almost every day three months out from the test, and I quickly became more and more confident reading the passages on the mock exams I took.
I would recommend finding a list of N2 kanji online and creating flashcards to study every kanji character.
N2 Reading
I ran out of time on the reading section the first time because I read every single word instead of finding the main points and using the questions as a guide.
The Kanzen Master JLPT N2: Reading Comprehension book helped me find a better approach to the reading questions. It breaks down each type of question and provides strategies to tackle them. It’s easily the best book I found to help me with the reading section.
Another great resource is Satori Reader, a Japanese language learning app that provides stories. The text in the stories can be adjusted to accommodate your knowledge of kanji. It helped me improve not only my reading ability but also my grammar, as each episode includes grammar explanations embedded directly within the story itself.
The words I learned on Satori Reader stuck in my head better, too, since the fictional stories gave me a clear image of what was going on in each episode.
Additionally, NHK’s NEWS WEB EASY website provides news articles written in simpler Japanese than standard Japanese news articles. Hovering your mouse over certain words reveals translations, which are also written in Japanese to give you even more reading practice.
N2 Grammar
Answer as many practice questions as you can to master N2 grammar.
The 日本語の森 YouTube channel provides videos with practice problems and detailed explanations for every JLPT level.
For example, here’s a video of one of the teachers going through 50 JLPT N2 grammar practice problems: JLPT N2 文法問題 50問
I’m bringing up Satori Reader again since the app helped me learn grammar patterns better than any textbook I had ever owned.
I tried the Nihongo Sou-Matome JLPT N2: Grammar book, but it lacks explanations and only provides a few example sentences per grammar point. I found Satori Reader to be a more fun way of learning grammar than the Nihongo Sou-Matome book since I could read grammar explanations while enjoying an interesting story.
N2 Listening
Note-taking is your best friend for the listening section. Writing notes while listening to the prompts will help you understand and remember everything that you hear.
Most of the listening section includes dialogue, so I wrote down short, quick notes about who the speakers were and what they were saying to each other during the exam.
Taking mock exams will prepare you the most for the listening section, but listening to podcasts in Japanese will also help you gain progress.
I highly enjoyed listening to YUYUの日本語ポッドキャスト (YUYU’s Japanese Podcast) and found it appropriate for my level. YUYU uploads his podcast episodes with subtitles on YouTube, so reading the subtitles could help expose yourself to more kanji.
Additional Tips
- Try visiting the test site location a few days before the test to ensure you know where to go, especially if you’re taking the exam in Japan.
- Track how much you’ve been studying each day in a spreadsheet to keep yourself motivated and see your progress.
- Don’t overwhelm yourself with hundreds of study tools. Pick a few for each part of the exam and stick with them.
- Take mock exams to get used to the structure of the test and know how to manage your time.
- Find Japanese content like a TV show to enjoy in your free time. It’ll remind you that studying Japanese is fun, helping you stay motivated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I Prepared For The JLPT N2?
There are several ways to know if the N2 is the right JLPT level for you. One is to run through the practice questions on the official JLPT website and see how they feel.
For an even more thorough test-run, consider buying the official JLPT mock exam and taking the test at home, with a timer, just like you will during the real test, and see how you do.
Another way to gauge your readiness is to see how confident you feel reading various content on a site like Satori Reader. A large portion of the JLPT N2 test revolves around reading comprehension. Test takers are expected to read essay-like material that they are seeing for the first time and then answer questions about it. If you can understand the main points of stories from the “News” series on Satori Reader, for example, it would suggest that you can quickly orient yourself to new reading material and would likely do well on the N2.
Is N2 Level Considered Fluent?
The JLPT doesn’t test writing and speaking, so passing the N2 alone does not mean that the test taker can communicate fluently, though it does suggest that they have a strong grasp of Japanese. Also, you need to know only about half of the Jouyou kanji characters (the kanji commonly used in daily life) for the N2 level, and it’s hard to fluently read adult-level material without knowing all the Jouyou kanji.
How Many Kanji And Words Are Needed For The JLPT N2?
About 1,000 kanji and 6,000 words.
What Score Do I Need To Pass The JLPT N2?
You need to score at least 90 points out of 180. However, you will also need to score at least 19 points in each section (Language Knowledge, Reading, and Listening sections). Click here for more details on the JLPT site.
Conclusion
Reviewing kanji and reading a lot in Japanese ultimately catapulted me to success. Laying out a study plan months in advance gave me the time to digest the material I needed to know, as well.
Seeing my progress while studying for the JLPT motivated me throughout the process, and passing the exam allowed me to set my sights on a new challenge: the JLPT N1 exam.