I just downloaded a JLPT 4 kyu practice test. Because I have just recently learned the first 700 words of SmartFm's Core2000, I was shocked to find that I could not understand most of the questions. I could understand the kanji section, because I seem to have learned the readings by exposure. Anyway, my question is does Core2000 cover all of the words in N5 (or 4 kyu)? I want to know if I learn the Core2000 if I will be able to understand it. Thanks for reading. Sorry if this has been asked before.

There's no word list for the N5 so its pretty moot to find something that covers "all the terms" cause there is no specific list anymore. The N5 this year featured one or two words that weren't even on the old 4kyuu word lists... So I just suggest studying that 4kyuu list and some additional words you think might be on that test that fits what the JLPT thinks you should know as an N5....

fleet street Wrote:I just downloaded a JLPT 4 kyu practice test. Because I have just recently learned the first 700 words of SmartFm's Core2000, I was shocked to find that I could not understand most of the questions. I could understand the kanji section, because I seem to have learned the readings by exposure. Anyway, my question is does Core2000 cover all of the words in N5 (or 4 kyu)? I want to know if I learn the Core2000 if I will be able to understand it. Thanks for reading. Sorry if this has been asked before.

The Core2k is also sorted in a way much different than the JLPT

Steps 1 and 2 cover BASIC terms and then after that it goes through the most common words based on newspaper scans, throughout the rest of core2k. I am not surprised at all that 300 words into the intermediate section, you're still having a hard time with 4kyu tests. Besides the most basic japanese isn't necessarily the most common by any means.

I'd just study and get as far as possible and soon you'll look back at N5 like small potatoes

cangy shows these figures for the old JLPT levels:

Level JLPT in core not in core
JLPT1 2.955 895 2.060
JLPT2 3.899 2.665 1.234
JLPT3 624 510 114
JLPT4 683 555 128

N5 should correspond to 4.

You can easily sort the core list according to the JLPT information cangy added.

In addition you need a list of the 128 words not covered in core 2k/6k.

Merkypie Wrote:There's no word list for the N5 so its pretty moot to find something that covers "all the terms" cause there is no specific list anymore. The N5 this year featured one or two words that weren't even on the old 4kyuu word lists... So I just suggest studying that 4kyuu list and some additional words you think might be on that test that fits what the JLPT thinks you should know as an N5....

There was never a complete list. They've always reserved the right to use up to 20% words not on the list.

Well i have a similar question,except that im taking the N1:S.I know that Core 6000 probably doesn't even cover enough for N2 so im confused about where to get my vocab up to around 10000 after i finish Core.im using smartfm so no anki or anything.

Some options:

Use the rest of the Newspaper frequency list
Use the Tanuki list (just remove dupes)
Use a internet scanned frequency list (remove dupes)
Do a personal scan
Find a ready made N1 list if it exists.
Just add words as you come across them in stuff you enjoy reading.

I don't think it'll be a problem finding word lists if that's what you're after.

Thanks everyone. I am especially glad to know (see Matthias' post) that most of the vocab is covered. And (see Dustin_Calgary's post) when you said 'Besides the most basic japanese isn't necessarily the most common by any means.' Did you mean that, for example in English, the word 'run' isn't used too much but is basic, but 'example' is not as basic but used more frequently?

JLPT lists compiled from this guys site - http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/ - acknowledging that they are always approximate, indicate roughly

NEW JLPT levels

total core2000 core2001-6000 other

N1 2933 50 846 2037
N2 2010 176 955 879
N3 1820 501 1001 318
N4 614 401 111 102
N5 672 555 16 101
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