So I just started my master degree in pure mathematics and I am planning to pursing my Phd in Japan (defiantly not possible without MEXT) so I am thinking should I put an hour a day to take the N5 exam on July 2026 or should I focus in my studies.
I am already familiar with 100 kanji, memorized around 700-800 vocab, very poor in grammar but when it comes to reading I don’t think I am bad but I could do better.
What do you think?
Full disclosure, I never heard about MEXT before this post but I looked some things up.
According to the source above, you’ll need to speak some Japanese and English for the scholarship
according to link above, the test is around level n2 to n4 (which is a surprisingly large range 
). My guess is that the higher the level of education you want to follow, the harder the test. But that’s just a guess
https://www.hk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/MEXTQA.html#2-14
The link above seems to indicate that you can use JLPT test scores in your application.
But honestly, I don’t think n5 would be enough to make a difference. That’s like trying to show your primary school Maths scores to try and gain entry to a bachelors degree level education. But you are also not required to show a JLPT test at all.
If you really want to study in Japan, I recommend you take a year off from studying Maths and focus on Japanese for a year. I bet Japan is going to be a lot more fun and fullfilling if you can actually speak the language. And it takes a long time to learn.
And again, besides what I just looked up I know nothing about MEXT so take what I say with a pinch of salt.
hi math student here too. i always wanted to persue math in japan too. Can you tell me in which university you picked to do masters? thanks
hi math student XD.
I am doing my master at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).
ranked 334 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
It is in Muscat, Oman.
Thank you for your help, i might consider taking a 1 year gap to study Japanese and take a look at all the math courses i have finished.
The mext is so incredibly competitive I wouldn’t count on getting it, it depends on the country you currently live in, but you are competing generally with a few thousand applicants for up to 15 but usually less than 10 spots, you can do the math. Also, to be competitive you need to be at least N2 but preferably N1. Overall, I would say apply to it but have at least one backup plan.
It would probably be safer just to become really skilled in your field and bring some savings, Japanese universities arent expensive and are paid by the year instead of by the class(roughly $3000 USD for public unviersities). That said there are university specific tuition exemptions and reductions based on the university which are much more realistic in terms of competition than the mext. Depending on how much you bring, a part time job will probably also be required.
An hour a day is solid, but just make sure you don’t do too much too soon, if you can’t keep up with it you can get burnt out and that is a bigger tank to progress than simply starting small. Just judge yourself and your situation to see what you can handle, you can always ramp it up later.
N5 is a nice mileston but it doesn’t offer much practicality, if you just want to see what the test is like then go for it, but if you want to go for anything higher N5 isn’t usually worth it. N4 would probably be a better jump considering you have experience with Japanese already, that said, judge yourself and your abilities. The biggest differences are reading and listening. As long as you are consistent with BunPro, I would say once you reach N4 grammar level start reading short passages or graded readers to prepare for the test and university. Listening is also a place that can trip people up if they aren’t used to it, youtube has lots of JLPT level specific listening practice videos you can listen to actively or while doing other things.
While I haven’t studied in Japan I have done extensive research because I also intend on pursuing a PhD there, fact check everything I say based off of where you want to study but this should be a good general picture of the landscape.
Good luck with your studies!
I have zero experience with MEXT but had some luck with public call applications.
Just replying to the title question, it’s one of those things that are not going to be a deal breaker, neither in the positive nor in the negative.
I don’t know what’s your spot in life and how you’re organized, but if studying Japanese is something that you like and doesn’t take your time and/or energy away from becoming better at what you do and from getting better grades (two VERY different things), it surely is an easy way to make your resume look better.
I don’t know when you’ll have you do the Japanese and English exams, but if it’s in more than one year, I’d focus on long term improvements in order to be as most ready as possible for that test, below the limits stated above, and take your last JLPT as close as possible to the exam date (in my country, Italy, it would be December of the year before applying for MEXT).
From what I read from Reddit (so not very reliable lol), the priority is this:
Having minimum requirements > having a good understanding of either English or Japanese > Having a great research plan and motivation on why you want to specifically go to study in Japan (what the country has to offer that no other country, especially yours, can offer) and how can Japan benefit on choosing you > Having a great academic record in what you do >= Having research activity about what you want to do in Japan > Understanding Japanese specifically.
My personal advice is take it easy in order to not burnout and play long term, but be at least a very solid N4 (like @Snappie texted, minimum level to get a good score in the easy section of the MEXT Japanese test) before taking the MEXT test if it’s gonna be in more than one year. The rest can always be a good extra to put on CV if it doesn’t distract you on what you like to study.
Best of luck, hope to be your colleague soon 
I don’t think this is neither a reasonable nor realistic advice that a person with the finite resource of time can afford. I assume the OP is quite smart if they study mathematics for their masters, surely if they structure a daily schedule they can find a way to bring their math studies with the Japanese studies together without being too radical.
I agree, if they like math and want to study math in japan then they don’t need to give up math for Japan.
I know it competitive and it is not easy to get, but I live in a small country XD, learning Japanese is not a thing here, We are less than 1 million and the majority of the people here don’t know MEXT exist.
I guess since every one is telling me that N5 is not a big deal i might take N4 or N3 on Dec 2027 depending on how far I studied Japanese, and I will apply to MEXT after 4 month of taking the exam.
Since a just started my master this week, I have 2 years to prepare but is it really 2 years? XD
I know math would take most of the time but if I want to improve my self i need to put at least 45 min to 1 hour a day, if I managed to to that I will reach N4 easily.
Thank you, hope that you are in japan until i get there 
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I get that 
I just don’t see away around it. The gap between N5 and N2 is massive.
If you’re putting roughly an hour everyday, I’m sure you’d be in time to take N3 in July 2026, or just N4 if you want to make sure you pass. An hour a day may not seem like much, but you’ll see a lot of progress. Take this from someone who has been doing way more than an hour a day for two months, although I am not studying something as unforgiving as maths. Good luck!