JLPT N2 study guide
JLPT N2 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a five-level test of Japanese, with N5 as the easiest level and N1 as the most difficult. N2 sits one step below the top level: the official level summary describes it as "the ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations, and in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree." That means reading clearly written material on a range of topics - newspaper and magazine articles and commentaries, simple critiques, general-topic writing - and following a narrative while grasping the writer's intent. In listening, candidates are expected to follow coherent conversations and news reports spoken at nearly natural speed and to pick out the relationships among the people involved and the essential points. The test has two sections. Topics on this exam: Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading and Listening. The JLPT N2 study guide has 2 sections and about 782 words.
01Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar): Contrastive Forms and Collocation
N2 Language Knowledge combines vocabulary questions - kanji reading, orthography, word formation (〜化・〜性・〜的・〜料), contextual word choice, paraphrase, and "usage" items where only one sentence uses a word correctly - with grammar questions: choosing the form, sentence ordering with a ★ slot, and grammar inside a short passage. Expect contrastive sets rather than isolated points: 〜がち／気味／っぽい; 〜ばかりか／どころか; 〜ものの／にもかかわらず; 〜につれて／に伴って／に従って; 〜ざるを得ない／かねる／がたい; 〜わりに／にしては; 〜上で／上は; 〜つつある／ながらも. You must also control そう (appearance 降りそうだ vs hearsay 降るそうだ), the らしい／ようだ／みたいだ family, and てある vs ている. Items are built from near-synonyms that differ in collocation, polarity, or register.
249 words, about 1 min02Listening
Five formats: short passages (content comprehension), medium passages, long passages (主張理解 - the author's claim), integrated comprehension (two texts compared), and information retrieval (notices, ads, schedules). Each rewards locating evidence, not general understanding. Track these signals: connectives (しかし = turning point, つまり／要するに = restatement, たとえば = example, rarely the answer), 指示語 (これ／それ／そこ pointing one or two sentences back), and modality (〜だろう／〜べきだ／〜のではないか marks opinion; 〜とは限らない softens a claim). Separate the author's view from quoted views introduced by 〜という人もいる.
533 words, about 3 min