If you’re like most aspiring learners, you may be wondering: How long does it take to learn Japanese? Some people think that learning Japanese is too hard, that it takes forever and requires tremendous painstaking effort. But is that really true?

The answer to this question varies depending on multiple factors, such as your…

• …mother tongue.
• …educational background.
• …previous language learning experience.
• …level of interest and enthusiasm.
• …learning goals.
• …study methods.

In this article, we’ll give you some insight on how long it takes to learn Japanese for the different proficiency levels, keeping these influencing factors in mind. We’ll also provide tips to help you make the most of your study time. 

Are you ready? Set your goals and join JapanesePod101.com on the first step of your language learning journey!

How long does it take to learn Japanese and how can you reach your goals faster?

Table of Contents

1. Japanese Learning Overview
2. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner Level?
3. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Intermediate Level?
4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Advanced Level?
5. Conclusion

1. Japanese Learning Overview 

Before we get into the details, let’s go over how the proficiency levels are defined. This will give you a good idea of what to expect at each stage of your learning journey and give you the knowledge you need to prepare accordingly. 

Language Difficulty Rankings

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) projects how difficult it will be and how long it will take for an English speaker to achieve a “Professional Working Proficiency” level in a given language. The difficulty levels are grouped into five categories, from the easiest languages (Category I) to the most difficult (Category IV). Category I languages are the most similar to English, and Category IV languages are the least similar.

Although the length of time needed to achieve proficiency can vary depending on many factors, FSI estimates the average approximate time for Category I languages to be 24-30 weeks (600-750 class hours). On the other hand, Category IV languages like Japanese take about 88 weeks (2200 class hours) to learn. Japanese is considered an “exceptionally difficult” language for native English speakers to master.

This assessment includes proficiency in reading, one of the most difficult parts of le/arning Japanese. The Japanese writing system is very different from the English alphabet, so many English speakers struggle to adapt. 

That said, you can expect the learning process to be less difficult if your goal has more to do with speaking and listening (such as being able to make conversation and watch Japanese movies without subtitles). There are also some areas where Japanese is simpler than English, which can make learning the language a bit easier. For example, Japanese has fewer vowel and consonant sounds, simple rules for using tense, no plural form or articles, and no verb conjugations according to person.

→ Please see our article Is Japanese Hard to Learn? in order to discover the easiest and most difficult aspects of the language.

JLPT: Japanese-Language Proficiency Test

The JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) is an official standardized criterion-referenced test that evaluates and certifies the Japanese-language proficiency of non-native Japanese speakers. It assesses language knowledge (grammar and vocabulary), reading ability, and listening ability.

The JLPT has five levels: N1 (the most difficult), N2, N3, N4, and N5 (the easiest).

N1	Advanced	The ability to understand all of the Japanese used in different everyday contexts.
N2	Pre-Advanced	The ability to understand the majority of Japanese phrases used in different everyday contexts.
N3	Intermediate	The ability to understand some of the Japanese phrases used in everyday situations.
N4	Elementary	The ability to understand basic Japanese.
N5	Beginner	The ability to understand some basic Japanese.

The Japanese Language Education Center shows the study-hour data for JLPT by level, as well as the comparison between students with and without prior Kanji knowledge. The information indicates that students without prior Kanji knowledge will need more study time to reach each level.

[JLPT Study-Hour Comparison Data 2010-2015]

	Students with Kanji Knowledge　(e.g. speakers of Chinese or Korean)	Students without Kanji Knowledge
N1	1700~2600 hours	3000~4800 hours
N2	1150~1800 hours	1600~2800 hours
N3	700~1100 hours	950~1700 hours
N4	400~700 hours	575~1000 hours
N5	250~450 hours	325~600 hours

Make progress step by step to increase your language proficiency level.

Influencing Factors

That being said, there are numerous factors that influence how long it takes to learn Japanese.

Your Mother Tongue / Language Learning Experience

If your native language is similar to your target language, the learning process will be much faster and easier than if you tried learning a very different language. Likewise, if you have some language learning experience and are somewhat familiar with your target language already, this will definitely help you learn faster and more effectively.  

In this regard, English speakers and learners unfortunately have little privilege when it comes to learning Japanese. 

The classification of the Japonic languages (Japanese and its dialects) is still unclear, but many linguists see the Japonic languages as an independent family. Thus, Japanese doesn’t really have a family of close and similar languages, such as the Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, and French). 

However, Japanese Kanji characters were originally brought from Ancient China and incorporated into Japanese. Although Chinese people cannot read or pronounce Japanese Kanji, they can often guess their meanings. While Chinese grammar and phonetics are very different from those of Japanese, the Korean language has some grammatical and phonetic similarities. Therefore, Chinese and Korean speakers (as well as learners of these languages) have a slight advantage when it comes to learning Japanese.

→ For more about the Japanese language, please see Japanese Language Overview: All the Facts You Need to Know.

Your Learning Goal / Motivation 

What is your definition of ‘learning Japanese’ and what is your learning goal? 

If your goal is to learn basic survival Japanese for traveling, then it won’t take very long to achieve. You would only have to learn some essential greetings and other useful phrases. 

However, it would take a lot of time and effort to reach a level where you could watch Japanese movies and anime without subtitles, or speak fluently with Japanese natives. This requires good speaking and listening skills.

Learning to read and write high-level Kanji would also require a lot of time and effort. You would need to attain solid grammatical knowledge and gain a good command of Kanji. This would allow you to read Japanese newspapers and write official documents. 

Whatever your learning goal may be, your motivation and enthusiasm play an important role as well. Whether you’re a big fan of Japanese culture and anime or you wish to live and work in Japan, your motivation impacts your level of commitment and your attitude toward learning Japanese. Your level of motivation determines how much time and effort you’re willing to dedicate to learning.

Study Method / Time You Dedicate to Learning 

As the proverb says, “There is no royal road to learning.” The more time you spend, the more knowledge you get. The accumulation of small but continuous effort is important.

Even for the same hour spent on language learning, the results you’d get will differ depending on how you’re learning and how that time was used. For example, were you watching Japanese anime, reading a textbook, or talking with a Japanese teacher in class?

If you want to focus on daily conversations, then reading a textbook about grammar may not be the best learning method. You would probably fare better talking with a Japanese tutor online and watching Japanese movies with subtitles, as this would improve your speaking and listening skills faster.

Once you set your goal, try to find the best learning methods for your purposes. There are multiple options you can work on from your home, even if you’re outside of Japan. These include online lessons and online tutoring for more effective learning, and using YouTube and Netflix for a more laid-back and fun approach to studying.

Thanks to the internet, there are numerous ways we can learn from anywhere.

2. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner Level?

Those who are thinking of starting to learn Japanese often wonder where to start, what to aim for as a beginner, and how long it will take to reach the beginner level. In this section, we’ll answer these questions and provide you with tips for how to learn Japanese effectively at this stage. 

JLPT: N5 & N4 Levels

Even if you don’t take an actual exam, JLPT can be a good guideline to help you know what needs to be done to achieve a certain level. If you want to reach the N5 & N4 levels, you’ll need to build a foundation by learning the basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary.

N5 Level: Beginner

Reading

You should be able to… 

• …understand typical daily expressions and sentences written in Hiragana, Katakana, and very basic Kanji. 

[Example Exercise]

A:  あの 人 は だれ です か。 Ano hito wa dare desu ka. Who is that person? B:  かれ は 田中さん です。 Kare wa Tanaka-san desu. He is Mr. Tanaka.

Listening

You should be able to…

• …listen to and comprehend conversations about topics regularly encountered in daily life and classroom situations. 
• …pick up necessary information from short conversations spoken slowly. 

[Example Exercise]　

Listen to a question and a conversation and choose the best answer. — 男の人と女の人が話しています。男の人は何時に寝ましたか。 Otoko no hito to onna no hito ga hanashite imasu. Otoko no hito wa nan-ji ni nemashita ka. The man and the woman are talking. What time did the man go to bed? — (女/woman)  眠そうな顔してるね。  Nemusō na kao shiteru ne.  You look sleepy. (男/man)       昨夜は遅くまで勉強していて。 Sakuya wa osoku made benkyō shite ite.  I was studying until late last night. (女/woman)  何時ごろ寝たの？  Nan-ji goro neta no? Around what time did you go to bed? (男/man)       3時半ごろ。 San-ji han goro. Around three thirty.

N4 Level: Elementary

Reading

You should be able to…

• …read and understand passages on familiar everyday topics written in basic vocabulary and Kanji. 

[Example Exercise]

パスポート ばんごう を おしえて ください。  Pasupōto bangō o oshiete kudasai.  Please tell me the passport number. ここ に あなた の うちの じゅうしょ を かいて ください。 Koko ni anata no uchi no jūsho o kaite kudasai.  Please write your home address here.

Listening

You should be able to…

• …listen to and comprehend conversations encountered in daily life and generally follow their contents (provided that they’re spoken slowly).

[Example Exercise]　

Listen to the question and answer options, and choose the best answer. — 仕事が終わって帰ります。何と言いますか。 Shigoto ga owatte kaerimasu. Nan to iimasu ka. (You) finished work and are going home. What do you say? おじゃまします。(Ojama shimasu.) お大事に。(Odaiji ni.) お先に失礼します。(Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu.)

Native English speakers, or those who do not have previous Kanji knowledge, need approximately 325-600 hours of studying for N5 and 575-1000 hours for N4 level.

JLPT assesses mainly reading and listening skills, so you may need to put in some extra effort to write and speak at such levels. 

How to Get to Elementary Level Faster

The most important thing for beginners to do is familiarize themselves with the Japanese language. You can get used to Japanese sentence structure, pronunciation, and basic vocabulary by doing simple exercises and repeating them until you feel comfortable with the content or concepts. With apps and online lessons, you can study anytime and anywhere.

Apps: 

Imiwa? and Japanese by Renzo Inc. are dictionary apps that allow you to look up any Japanese word you want to know. You can also use them to check the reading of Kanji, learn how to write Kanji, and see some usage examples.

The NHK Easy Japanese News app is a news app provided by Japan’s national broadcaster. It provides news articles written in simple sentences with 振り仮名 (furigana), or reading aid, for Kanji. 

Online Lessons: 

JapanesePod101.com offers informative yet fun audio and video lessons for absolute beginners. Together with grammar essentials, you’ll learn real and practical spoken Japanese. Our short and easy-to-understand lessons will keep you hooked from Level 1.

To learn a language, the output of knowledge is just as important as the input.

3. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Intermediate Level?

Depending on your goals, the next logical step is probably to learn even more and reach an intermediate level of fluency. So how long will it take you to learn Japanese to such an extent, and how can you get there? 

JLPT: N3 Level

Reading

You should be able to…

• …read and understand written materials with specific contents concerning everyday topics.
• …grasp summarized information such as newspaper headlines. 
• …read the kind of writing encountered in everyday situations that may be a bit more difficult, understanding the main points (as long as alternative phrases are available to you if needed). 

[Example] 

山本さんはクラスの代表に選ばれた。  Yamamoto-san wa kurasu no daihyō ni erabareta. Mr./Ms. Yamamoto was selected as a representative of the class. その会社は海外から輸入したバッグを日本で売っている。 Sono kaisha wa kaigai kara yunyū shita baggu o Nihon de utte iru.  The company sells bags in Japan which they imported from abroad.

Listening

You should be able to…

• …listen to and comprehend coherent everyday conversations spoken at near-natural speed, while following most of the spoken content and determining the relationships of the people speaking. 

[Example Exercise]　

Listen to the question and answer options, and choose the best answer. — 試験に合格したので先生に伝えたいです。何と言いますか。 Shiken ni gōkaku shita node sensei ni tsutaetai desu. Nan to iimasu ka. (You) passed the exam and you want to tell this to the teacher. What do you say? 1 – 今回はおめでとうございます。(Konkai wa omedetō gozaimasu.) – Congratulations this time. 2 – 今度、合格なさいました。(Kondo, gōkaku nasaimashita.) – This time (he) passed. [in respectful form for others] 3 – おかげさまで、試験に受かりました。(Okage-sama de, shiken ni ukarimashita.) – Thanks to you, I passed the exam.

For native English speakers, it’s estimated that around 950-1700 hours of studying is needed to achieve the N3 level. 

How to Get to Intermediate Level Faster

To reach the intermediate level, you need to increase your knowledge of more complex grammar concepts and memorize a variety of everyday vocabulary words and phrases. In addition, it’s time to get used to the natural and native speaking speed. In order to achieve that, the amount of output is just as important as the amount of input—in other words, you need to practice active listening as well as speaking. Textbooks and lessons can only teach you so much! 

Paper Materials: 

Master intermediate-level grammar from your textbooks, and consider reading light novels and magazines to increase your daily input of Japanese.

Apps: 

Wondering how to learn more Japanese vocabulary? Anki is an intelligent flashcard app that helps you memorize words more easily and increase your vocabulary. 

Once you know the basics of how to compose Japanese sentences and have a solid vocabulary base, it’s time to start practicing. Hello Talk is a language exchange app that you can download on iOS or Android devices. With this app, you can find Japanese online friends to talk to.

Audio/Video Materials: 

There’s a variety of audio/video sources for learning Japanese out there. YouTube and Netflix are easy options. Immerse yourself in Japanese-speaking environments every day—right from the comfort of your couch! 

Need some recommendations? Then check out the following blog posts on JapanesePod101.com: 

★ Top 10 Japanese YouTube Channels to Improve Your Japanese
★ Japanese Netflix Programs: Learn Japanese with Netflix

Online Lessons and Online Tutoring:  
In addition to online lessons, useful vocab lists, and insightful articles on various topics, JapanesePod101.com provides a one-on-one tutoring service called MyTeacher. This service allows you to interact with your own personal teacher, who can help you personalize your learning program based on your progress and provide you with valuable feedback.

4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Advanced Level?

Are you looking to become completely fluent in Japanese? Then be prepared to dedicate a lot of your time and effort to the task. This is a long journey, and you might begin to feel like you’re not progressing anymore no matter how much time you spend studying. Your progress may be slower than it was reaching the previous two levels, but every small effort counts. You’ll surely advance if you keep at it and don’t give up! 

1. JLPT: N2 & N1 Level 

N2 Level: Pre-Advanced

Reading

You should be able to…

• …read and comprehend clearly written content on various topics, including articles and commentaries in newspapers and magazines, as well as simple critiques. 
• …read written materials on various topics, follow their narratives, and understand the writers’ intent. 

[Example Exercise]

(1)  _____の言葉を漢字で書くとき、最もよいものを一つ選びなさい。　 _____ no kotoba o kanji de kaku toki, mottomo yoi mono o hitotsu erabinasai. Choose the most appropriate one when the word _____ is written in Kanji. — 今日は、ゴミのしゅうしゅう日ですか。  Kyō wa, gomi no shūshūbi desu ka. Is it garbage collection today? 1. 拾集、2. 収拾、3. 修集、4. 取集 (2)  (　　)に入るのに、最もよいものを一つ選びなさい。 (　　) ni hairu no ni, mottomo yoi mono o hitotsu erabinasai. Choose the most appropriate one for (    ). — 日本人の平均（　　）は、男性が79歳、女性が86歳である。 Nihon-jin no heikin（　　） wa, dansei ga 79-sai, josei ga 86-sai de aru.  The Japanese average（　　）is male 79 years old and female 86 years old. 1. 生命、2. 寿命、3. 人生、4. 一生 seimei        jumyō　  jinsei       isshō

Listening

You should be able to…

• …understand orally presented materials (coherent conversations, news reports, etc.) on a variety of topics and in different settings, spoken at nearly natural speed. 
• …follow the main ideas and content of such materials. 
• …understand the relationships of the people involved. 

[Example Exercise] 

Listen to the sentence and choose the best reply. — あの、今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。 Ano, ima, o-jikan yoroshii deshō ka. Excuse me, do you have time now? [Can I talk to you?] 1 – えっと、4時5分ですよ。(Etto, yo-ji go-fun desu yo.) – Well, it’s 4:05. 2 – あいにく私も時計がなくて。(Ainiku watashi mo tokei ga nakute.) – Unfortunately, I don’t have a watch either. 3 – 10分くらいなら。(Juppun kurai nara.) – [Yes, I have] about ten minutes.

N1 Level: Advanced

Reading 

You should be able to…

• …read texts featuring complex logic or abstract ideas on a variety of topics (newspaper editorials, critiques, etc.) and comprehend their structure and content. 
• …read texts featuring profound content on various topics, follow their narratives, and understand the writers’ intent. 

[Example Exercise] 

(1)  _____の言葉の読み方として、最もよいものを一つ選びなさい。　 _____ no kotoba o yomikata to shite, mottomo yoi mono o hitotsu erabinasai. Choose the most appropriate reading for the word_____. — 彼は今、新薬の研究開発に挑んでいる。  Kare wa ima, shin’yaku no kenkyū kaihatsu ni _____iru. He is now challenging the research and development of new drugs. 1. はげんで、2. のぞんで、3. からんで、4. いどんで (2)  (　　)に入るのに、最もよいものを一つ選びなさい。 (　　) ni hairu no ni, mottomo yoi mono o hitotsu erabinasai. Choose the most appropriate one for (    ). — 私の主張は単なる（　　）ではなく、確たる証拠に基づいている。 Watashi no shuchō wa tan naru（　　）de wa naku, kakutaru shōko ni motozuite iru.  My claim is based on solid evidence, not just (       ). 1. 模索、2. 思索、3. 推測、4. 推移 mosaku     shisaku     suisoku     suii

Listening

You should be able to…

• …comprehend spoken content in the form of conversations, news reports, and lectures in various contexts, when spoken at natural speed.
• …follow the ideas and understand the implicit meaning of such spoken content. 
• …understand important details of such spoken content, including the relationships of those involved, logical structures, and essential points. 

[Example Exercise]

Listen to the sentence and choose the best reply. — 今日は、お客さんからの苦情が多くて仕事にならなかったよ。 Kyō wa, o-kyaku-san kara no kujō ga ōkute shigoto ni naranakatta yo. I couldn’t work much today because there were many complaints from customers. 1 – いい仕事、できて良かったね。(Ii shigoto, dekite yokatta ne.) – That’s good you have done a great job. 2 – 仕事、なくて大変だったね。(Shigoto, nakute taihen datta ne.) – It must have been tough without work. 3 – お疲れ様、ゆっくり休んで。(Otsukare-sama, yukkuri yasunde.) – You must be tired (well done), rest well.

It’s estimated that it takes about 1600-2800 hours to achieve N2 and 3000-4800 hours to achieve N1. However, if you also want to master the Japanese Kanji of these levels, you’ll probably need to put in even more hours. 

How to Get to Advanced Level Faster

At this point, you probably don’t have any issues with daily Japanese conversations. You just need to focus on expanding your high-level vocabulary, getting a good working knowledge of official and formal language (including different honorifics), and picking up some spoken colloquial language that’s not often found in ordinary textbooks or written documents. Below are a few ways you can speed up your learning process.

Paper Materials: 

You can gain exposure to a wider range of vocabulary (including official words and technical terms) by reading more advanced paper materials. These include Japanese newspapers, magazines, and books on topics that interest you (business, biographies, IT, health, etc.). 

Apps: 

If you can, utilize all of the dictionary apps we mentioned earlier; this will surely take you to the next level. Kanji Senpai is another useful app that you can use to brush up on your Kanji skills by practicing and writing characters. Using news apps for daily reading is another effective way to learn official language. 

Audio/Video Materials: 

When using audio/video materials, try to focus on quality. Watching Japanese anime is fun and interesting, but it won’t take you to an advanced level. If you get bored of watching serious news channels and want something fun, you can choose to watch Japanese movies/TV shows in more complex genres (mystery, science fiction, crime thriller, techno thriller, etc.).

Online Lessons / Online Tutoring:

JapanesePod101.com offers plenty of more advanced online lessons in the form of written, audio, and video content. Our materials are designed to help you learn practical and natural Japanese in a fun and effective way. As an intermediate or advanced learner, you’ll greatly benefit from our one-on-one tutoring service MyTeacher; you’ll need the guidance and corrections of a native speaker in order to advance more quickly.

Reading newspapers will help you expand your vocabulary and reach an advanced level of Japanese.

Conclusion

In this article, we talked about how long it takes to learn Japanese by level and discussed a number of influencing factors. As you can see, the amount of time it takes you to learn the language has a lot to do with what your goals are: becoming a fluent speaker and listener will be much easier than mastering the Japanese reading and writing system. 

If you would like to explore the Japanese language further, stay with JapanesePod101.com for the fastest and easiest way to fluency. With our variety of rich, free lessons and tools, your Japanese language skills will improve immensely. 

Don’t forget that you’re not alone. When you use our MyTeacher service, your own teacher can always help you practice through personalized activities and assignments. You can also reach out to native speakers and your fellow Japanese learners through the JapanesePod101 forum! 

Before you go, let us know in the comments if you feel ready to start learning Japanese. If not, we’d love to hear your questions or concerns, and we’ll be glad to help any way we can. 
Now, it’s time to get started with JapanesePod101.com!

Being able to use appropriate business-level Japanese proves that you’ve achieved the advanced level.