Japanese-language tests
JLPT or JFT-Basic — which to take, and when
The two tests measure different ranges and report results differently. If you need to prove Japanese ability for the Specified Skilled Worker (i) residence status, the Immigration Services Agency operational guidance names the JFT-Basic and the JLPT at N4 or above. JFT-Basic is a computer-based test held roughly monthly, and you see your result immediately. JLPT runs twice a year — 5 July and 6 December in 2026. And what the JLPT measures is language knowledge, reading and listening: speaking and writing are not included.
Written by the United World Nihongo editorial team | Published 5 September 2026 | Sources: Immigration Services Agency, "Operational Guidance on the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Foreign Nationals" (April 2025); the JLPT official site (Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services); the JFT-Basic official site | Confirmed on 5 September 2026 (確認日：2026年9月5日)
How the two tests differ
| JLPT | JFT-Basic | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered by | The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services | The Japan Foundation |
| How often | Twice a year, July and December. Some cities overseas hold only one of the two | As a rule, monthly |
| Format | Paper, multiple choice | Computer-based (CBT) |
| Result | Later | You see the judgement immediately |
| Reported as | Pass or fail at N1-N5. From the December 2025 test a CEFR level is shown for reference | A total score (10-250) and a judgement of A1, A2.1 or A2.2 (A2) |
| What is measured | Language knowledge, reading, listening | Script and vocabulary, conversation and expression, listening, reading |
The last row is the point of this page. Neither test measures directly whether you can speak Japanese. The JLPT site states this plainly: its measurement range is language knowledge, reading and listening, and productive skills — speaking and writing — and interaction are not included.
If you are taking it for a residence status
For the Japanese-language requirement of Specified Skilled Worker (i), the operational guidance issued by the Immigration Services Agency (April 2025) names two tests: the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese, and the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test at N4 or above.
Two conditions around that are easy to miss.
1. The ministry for your field decides
The guidance says a Specified Skilled Worker (i) is expected to have ability sufficient for everyday conversation and for daily life without difficulty, and that on top of that, the level of Japanese needed for the work is set for each industrial field. It then states that this level is confirmed through tests determined by the government body responsible for that field, and that the details of the tests per field are set out in the separate volume of the guidance.
So nursing care, construction and food service need not be the same. Checking the separate volume for your own field is the reliable way to answer this.
2. Passing does not secure the status
The guidance is explicit about this.
Passing the test does not in itself guarantee that the "Specified Skilled Worker" residence status will be granted; and even where a Certificate of Eligibility is issued, the visa application is separately examined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so a visa will not necessarily be issued.
Immigration Services Agency, "Operational Guidance on the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Foreign Nationals", April 2025 — translated from the Japanese original (confirmed 5 September 2026)
The test is one necessary condition among several, not the decision itself.
If you completed Technical Intern Training (ii)
There is a route that does not require the test. The guidance defines completing Technical Intern Training (ii) "satisfactorily" as having completed at least two years and ten months of training and either passed the practical examination of Trade Skill Test grade 3 or an equivalent Technical Intern Training evaluation examination (advanced level), or, without having passed it, being recognised as having completed the training satisfactorily on the basis of a written evaluation prepared by the implementing organisation covering attendance, skills acquired and conduct. Whether this applies to you is a question for your implementing organisation and your accepting organisation.
Reading a JFT-Basic result — this changed in August 2026
JFT-Basic measures the Japanese needed for communication in the everyday situations encountered by foreign nationals who come to Japan primarily to work. It has four sections — script and vocabulary, conversation and expression, listening, and reading — of about 12 questions each, taken as a 60-minute computer-based test.
The result is a total score from 10 to 250, reported as follows.
| Total score | Judgement |
|---|---|
| 200-250 | A2.2 (A2) |
| 175-199 | A2.1 |
| 145-174 | A1 |
| Below 145 | No judgement, shown as "*" |
The A1 and A2.1 judgements began in August 2026. Before that, nothing was reported unless you reached 200. The change was made for the Employment for Skill Development programme, scheduled to begin operating in April 2027, and the Japan Foundation states that the format, structure and difficulty of the test itself are unchanged.
What this means for you is concrete: if you do not reach 200 but score 145 or above, the level you did reach is now recorded. The range that used to be a single "*" is now divided in two.
Reading a JLPT result — the pass mark is not the whole rule
Passing the JLPT requires two conditions to be met at the same time: the overall score must reach the pass mark, and the score in each scoring section must reach that section's minimum.
| Level | Pass mark (overall) | Sections and section minimums |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 100 | Language knowledge 19, reading 19, listening 19 |
| N2 | 90 | Language knowledge 19, reading 19, listening 19 |
| N3 | 95 | Language knowledge 19, reading 19, listening 19 |
| N4 | 90 | Language knowledge and reading 38, listening 19 |
| N5 | 80 | Language knowledge and reading 38, listening 19 |
Read down the table and something looks wrong. N3's pass mark of 95 is higher than N2's 90. Why that is, and what follows from it for your studying, is set out in Passing the JLPT takes more than the overall score.
One official scale that connects the two
There is no official table converting a JLPT score into a JFT-Basic score, as far as we could confirm. But from the second test of 2025 — December — JLPT score documents carry a CEFR level for reference. JFT-Basic also reports its judgement in CEFR terms, so the two can at least be read against a common frame.
| JLPT level and overall score | CEFR level shown for reference |
|---|---|
| N5: 80 or above | A1 |
| N4: 90 or above | A2 |
| N3: 95-103 | A2 |
| N3: 104 or above | B1 |
| N2: 90-111 | B1 |
| N2: 112 or above | B2 |
| N1: 100-141 | B2 |
| N1: 142 or above | C1 |
This table says more than the word "passed" does. Two people who both passed N2, one at 90 and one at 112, are shown at different CEFR levels. The same is true of N3 at 95 and at 104. Saying "I have N2" and showing the score document itself carry different amounts of information to an employer or a school.
Where any section falls below its minimum, the result is a fail even if the overall score reaches the pass mark, no CEFR level is shown, and an asterisk is printed instead. It is the same symbol JFT-Basic uses below 145.
What this page does not answer
Filling gaps with guesswork leaves someone planning around a number that was invented. These are outside what we could confirm.
- Converting between JLPT and JFT-Basic scores. We found no official table doing this. The CEFR reference above means each test points at the same frame; it is not a conversion.
- Fees, venues and application periods. These change. Check the application pages on each official site.
- How long it takes to pass. It depends on where you are now and the hours you have. We publish no figure of our own for this.
- The level required in your particular field. That is set in the separate volume of the guidance. Ask your accepting organisation or registered support organisation.
Frequently asked questions
Which should I take first?
It depends on your purpose. If you need to prove your level quickly for a residence status, JFT-Basic is held as a rule monthly and the judgement appears immediately, so the wait until the next opportunity is short. The JLPT is held twice a year, and the second sitting of 2026 is on 6 December. If you need proof in a form that is widely recognised for further study or employment, the JLPT score document is commonly used, and you will need to work backwards from those two dates.
If I pass N2, does that mean I can work in Japanese?
Not necessarily. The JLPT official site states that its measurement range is language knowledge, reading and listening, and that productive skills — speaking and writing — and interaction are not included. Passing N2 is evidence about reading and listening; it does not directly measure whether you can put a view in a meeting or write an email. If what is difficult at work is speaking, that needs practice of a different kind from test preparation.
My overall score was above the pass mark but I failed. Why?
Because each scoring section has a minimum of its own. Passing requires both that the overall score reaches the pass mark and that every section reaches its minimum, so a single section below its minimum results in a fail even when the total is sufficient. In that case no CEFR level is shown on the score document and an asterisk appears instead. The document does show your score for each section, so you can decide what to work on next from it.
I did not reach 200 on JFT-Basic. Is anything recorded?
Under the judgement that began in August 2026, a score of 145 or above is recorded as A1 or A2.1: 145 to 174 is A1, 175 to 199 is A2.1, and 200 to 250 is A2.2 (A2). Below 145 no judgement is shown and an asterisk appears instead. Before this change nothing was reported unless you reached 200, so a result taken now records the level you actually reached.
If I pass, will I get the residence status?
No. The Immigration Services Agency operational guidance states that passing a test does not in itself guarantee that the Specified Skilled Worker status will be granted, and that even where a Certificate of Eligibility is issued, the visa application is examined separately by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The test is one of the necessary conditions. For the procedure as a whole, ask your accepting organisation, your registered support organisation, or the regional immigration bureau.