Japanese

If Japanese is completely new to you — whether you’re starting for anime and culture, planning a move to Japan, or working toward the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa — JLPT N5 is where the journey officially begins. But unlike more familiar language exams, N5 comes with its own learning curve: two entirely new phonetic scripts, around 100 kanji, and an exam format that’s nothing like a typical school test.

This Japanese N5 checklist breaks the level down into exactly what you need to cover — scripts, vocabulary, grammar, listening, and the real exam structure — so you know precisely where you stand before test day.

If you are a fresher in India and searching for Japan jobs for freshers, you will find plenty of confusing information online. Some websites make it sound as if you need years of experience. Others make overseas employment look like a simple language course followed by a guaranteed job.

if you have just decided to learn Japanese — whether for a job in Japan, the JLPT, or simply out of curiosity — there is one decision you cannot skip: you must start with hiragana and katakana. Not romaji. Not kanji. These two phonetic scripts, together called kana, are the actual foundation of the Japanese language, and almost every serious course, textbook, and exam assumes you already know them.

Updated for 2026. If you are a current Technical Intern, a Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) aspirant, or an employer sponsoring foreign staff in Japan, you have probably heard the term Ikusei Shuro (育成就労) floating around. It is not a rumour — it is a legally confirmed system that will replace the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) starting April 1, 2027. This guide breaks down exactly what is changing, when it happens, and what you should do about it right now.