JLPT December 2026

Japanese
#182

I took N2 in July, and signed up again for December without seeing the results, because I’m almost certain that I failed.

Reading speed is a big factor in the exam, but make sure to do listening practice exams as well. The listening questions can be tricky if you are missing any key grammar or vocabulary, because sometimes the correct answer is the only thing that was not mentioned.

Part of my plan is to go through 新完全マスター読解, and mine all of the unknown vocab from that book while I read it.

I would say the ideal reading speed would be the ability to read the N2 level texts out loud at a listenable pace.

#183

I will take the N2! Everyone, let’s do our best! 頑張りましょう

3 Likes
#184

Registered for the N2, though I don’t have high hopes. Passed N3 last Dec and University study has gone well in winter and spring quarter, but I took the summer off from most all things Japanese, on account of life (single parent life + summer break for the kids = mega brain drain).

I’ll be working this next month to get back up to speed and really pick up N2 specific stuff by end of Sept, alongside whatever the 400 level Japanese course is like at my University. On the plus side, I’m in Japan for a 4 week long abroad program, though it’s not really language focused, it’s a cultural excursion. It’s still fun being surrounded by the language, and I brought my N2 Nihongo no Mori book, which I’m starting to work on between program lectures, so hopefully that’s a good jumpstart back towards a Japanese-learnable mind.

2 Likes
#185

This usage of “Now” in english is actually very similar to the Japanese usage of “尚” when starting a sentence. It basically means “furthermore,”.

I think it’s interesting that there’s some level of phonolinguistic overlap there.

#186

I dont think they meant it in that sense as they prefaced it with “things have changed”

#187

I also speak English natively and know what words mean 🥲

4 Likes
#188

Retaking the N1 this year, hopefully I won’t be as ill this time around. Focusing largely on native input as revision since I technically passed each section last time, but didn’t score high enough to pass overall.
(So if anyone has recommendations for dramas, radio shows, youtube channels, books, or blogs. Basically anything intended for native speakers that’s interesting to watch, read or listen to. I am taking recommendations.)
Looking forward to seeing the build up again this year on these forums, the shared nerves and excitement, plus the joy around results day were all things that kept me going during my own studies.

1 Like
#189

True, sorry. I don’t remember if I even read the whole message.

I think I’ve been itching for a chance to talk about this 尚, thing, it’s like a Bobo and Kiki kind of thing that really surprised me.

#190

I assume you’ve already gone the Terrace House way if you’re N1ish, but have you tried The Boyfriend? It’s a gay dating show (the first one ever for Japan, maybe ?) and I found the way they discussed being queer in today’s Japan pretty interesting. It’s also set in places with amazing scenery, those snowy mountain shots in season two were just :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

6 Likes
#191

Oh, I might go try a few episodes out!
I’m not LGBTQ myself, but I have spent a lot of time in those spaces, so I’m definitely interested in the kind of discussion you mentioned, especially with the current movements within Japan regarding same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ rights.

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#192

N3 registration is in! My nearest center ran out of spots in just 30 minutes :dizzy_face:

1 Like
#193

Is there anybody here who registered for London, UK? I don’t know how to tell if my registration went through. Like, you make this reservation via Eventbrite, after which they tell you “this is just a reservation; you have to complete the payment in order to claim the seat”, then I made the payment and after that it’s just nothing. No confirmation email. (Yes, I checked my spam.)

#194

17 hours late with no starbucks, sorry, but having taken the jlpt in Japan a couple times now (N4, N3, N2) I can’t say I’ve ever had a placement that was truly problematically far. They do at least seem to take your actual address/location into account, because I’ve had a similar experience to @cafelatte where it’s always been within an hour’s range at worst.

And for those looking at the N2 - reading speed is definitely important, they will toss a lot of text at you, but don’t let your listening fall behind either.

I’m still holding off until test scores drop tomorrow, but gratz to everyone who’s snagged their seat so far!

2 Likes
#195

I was going to do this but I found out that you cannot get a spot until you pay. . . But for me at least I’m fairly confident I didn’t pass so it wasn’t a big deal for me to just pay (although it would be super cool and much more logical for registration to happen after the results come out so we wouldn’t have to worry about stuff like this)

1 Like
#196

@cafelatte @SilentRequiem @Ayara012 Thanks a lot for the answers, all - I imagined it was pretty unlikely that they’d send you far but it’s nice to be a bit more certain. If the max distance is about an hour away that’ll be totally fine - like any true Saitama resident, I make the 90 minute-ish journey into Tokyo pretty much every weekend to escape, so I’m used to it by this point lol. Good luck with your studies in the meantime everyone :muscle:

3 Likes
#197

i have yet to take the JLPT (just registered for N3!!) but people in my area have been sent over two hours away. i’m remarkably inaka though so that’s kinda expected

5 Likes
#198

Just wanted to chime in and add that I got placed about two hours away last year (in Kanagawa, so I was not impressed). So it can happen, but I think it’s rare!

I actually ended up not writing it as a result because there was no way I was getting up at like 5 am to transit there. Fingers crossed I’m placed at a better location this year.

Signed up for N1 this year, by the way!

4 Likes
#199

Good to know, sounds like I should read even more lol and be conscious of my reading speed.

#200

Just registered for the N4 in December in Switzerland; a 6 hour drive from Belgium. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to get a spot in Belgium or The Netherlands which are a bit closer to home. Good luck to everyone preparing for the December test!

3 Likes
#201

Ah, here it is. Conformation email just arrived. Maybe they waited until applications closed or something.

2 Likes