JLPT Study Strategy by Native Language — Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian & More

Introduction

Here's something most JLPT study guides won't tell you: the "best" way to study for the JLPT depends heavily on what language you already speak. A Korean speaker and a Spanish speaker sitting the same N3 exam face completely different challenges — and they should be studying in completely different ways.

The JLPT tests four core areas: vocabulary (語彙 / ごい), grammar (文法 / ぶんぽう), reading comprehension (読解 / どっかい), and listening comprehension (聴解 / ちょうかい). Every test taker needs to pass all sections, but your native language determines which sections will feel natural and which will require serious grinding.

Think of it this way. If your native language shares grammar patterns with Japanese, you can spend less time on grammar drills and more time on kanji. If your language has tonal distinctions, your ears are already trained for subtle sound differences — listening might be your strongest section. If you grew up reading Chinese characters, you've got a massive head start on vocabulary and reading.

This guide breaks down JLPT preparation strategies for speakers of Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Spanish. We'll cover what's easy, what's hard, and exactly how to allocate your study time based on your linguistic background. Whether you're aiming for N5 or N1, these strategies apply — the relative strengths and weaknesses stay consistent across all levels.

Let's find your fastest path to passing.

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: Your native language determines which JLPT sections are hardest for you. Korean speakers should focus on kanji and listening speed. Vietnamese speakers need extra grammar time but can leverage Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary. Indonesian speakers benefit from balanced study with daily kanji practice. Chinese speakers should prioritize grammar and listening. Spanish speakers need heavy kanji and grammar work but have a pronunciation advantage. Tailor your study plan to your background and you'll pass faster.

Why Your Native Language Matters for the JLPT

Every language learner brings a unique set of advantages and disadvantages to Japanese. Linguists call this "language transfer" — patterns from your first language that either help or interfere with learning a new one.

Positive transfer happens when your native language shares features with Japanese. Korean speakers benefit from nearly identical sentence structure. Chinese speakers can read kanji without starting from zero. Vietnamese speakers recognize thousands of Sino-Vietnamese cognates.

Negative transfer is the opposite — habits from your native language that cause errors in Japanese. English speakers constantly want to put the verb before the object. Indonesian speakers struggle with particles that don't exist in their language. Spanish speakers find the lack of grammatical gender refreshing but stumble over honorific levels they've never encountered.

The smartest thing you can do is identify your specific advantages and disadvantages, then build a study plan that spends more time on your weak areas and less time on what comes naturally. That's exactly what this guide helps you do.

Korean Speakers JLPT Strategy (한국어 화자를 위한 JLPT 전략)

If you speak Korean, congratulations — you have arguably the biggest structural advantage of any language group when it comes to the JLPT.

Your Advantages

Grammar structure is nearly identical. Korean and Japanese are both SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) languages. The particle system works similarly. Sentence-ending patterns, honorific structures, and even the way you connect clauses all follow remarkably parallel logic. When you learn a Japanese grammar point, it often maps directly to a Korean equivalent.

For example:

• 私は学校に行きます → 나는 학교에 갑니다 (word order is identical)
• The particle は maps conceptually to 는/은
• The particle に maps to 에
• Verb conjugation patterns (ます form, て form) have Korean parallels

Honorific language makes sense to you. Japanese keigo (敬語) terrifies most learners, but Korean speakers already live in a language with multiple speech levels. You intuitively understand why you'd use different verb forms with your boss versus your friend.

Sino-Korean vocabulary overlap. Thousands of Japanese words share roots with Korean vocabulary through shared Chinese character origins. Words like 図書館 (としょかん / toshokan) and 도서관 (doseo-gwan) are clearly related.

Your Disadvantages

Kanji reading and writing. This is the big one. Korean moved away from Chinese characters to hangul, a purely phonetic script. Most modern Korean speakers can't read hanja (漢字) fluently. You'll need to build kanji recognition essentially from scratch, even though many of the underlying word meanings are familiar.

Listening speed. Japanese natural speech is fast, and while the sounds are somewhat familiar, the speed of native conversation in JLPT listening sections catches many Korean speakers off guard. The rhythm and intonation patterns differ enough to cause comprehension gaps at higher speeds.

False friends. Some words look similar but have shifted meanings. 勉強 (べんきょう) means "study" in Japanese but 변강 doesn't carry the same weight in Korean. These traps increase at higher JLPT levels.

Recommended Study Allocation

Weekly Schedule for Korean Speakers

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Kanji study (30 min) + Listening practice (20 min)
• Tuesday/Thursday: Vocabulary review with kanji writing (30 min) + Reading practice (20 min)
• Saturday: Full practice test section + Grammar review (45 min)
• Sunday: Light review + Anime/drama listening immersion (30 min)

Vietnamese Speakers JLPT Strategy (Chiến lược JLPT cho người Việt)

Vietnamese speakers have a fascinating and often underestimated advantage for the JLPT. Your relationship with Japanese vocabulary through Sino-Vietnamese words is a genuine superpower — once you learn to use it.

Your Advantages

Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary is your secret weapon. Roughly 60-70% of Japanese vocabulary at the N2 and N1 levels comes from Chinese origins. Vietnamese has a parallel set of Sino-Vietnamese (Hán-Việt) words. Once you spot the pattern, you can often guess the meaning of unfamiliar Japanese words.

Examples:

• 注意 (ちゅうい / caution) ↔ chú ý
• 学生 (がくせい / student) ↔ học sinh
• 図書館 (としょかん / library) ↔ thư viện (related root: 圖書館)

Building a Sino-Vietnamese to Japanese correspondence list is one of the highest-ROI study activities you can do.

Your ears are trained for tonal distinction. Vietnamese is a tonal language with six tones. While Japanese isn't tonal in the same way, it does use pitch accent. Your ear is already calibrated to notice subtle sound differences that speakers of non-tonal languages miss entirely. This gives you a real edge in the listening section.

Phonetic similarity in certain sounds. Several Japanese sounds map well to Vietnamese phonetics, making pronunciation less of a hurdle.

Your Disadvantages

Grammar is a major challenge. Vietnamese is an SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) language with no conjugation, no particles, and no inflection. Japanese grammar — with its particles (は、が、を、に、で、etc.), verb conjugations (て form, ない form, passive, causative), and clause-connecting patterns — will require significant study time.

Reading speed under time pressure. While you can leverage Sino-Vietnamese roots for vocabulary, actually reading full passages at JLPT speed requires fluency with kanji combinations, grammar patterns, and contextual inference all at once. This takes dedicated practice.

Katakana loan words. Japanese borrows heavily from English for modern vocabulary (コンピュータ、アルバイト、etc.). If your English is limited, these words offer no advantage and need to be memorized independently.

Recommended Study Allocation

Weekly Schedule for Vietnamese Speakers

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Grammar drills (30 min) + Vocabulary with Hán-Việt mapping (15 min)
• Tuesday/Thursday: Reading practice with timer (25 min) + Kanji study (20 min)
• Saturday: Practice test section + Grammar pattern review (45 min)
• Sunday: Listening practice + Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary expansion (30 min)

Indonesian Speakers JLPT Strategy (Strategi JLPT untuk Penutur Bahasa Indonesia)

Indonesian speakers face a balanced set of challenges across all JLPT sections. The good news is that nothing is impossibly hard — but nothing comes for free either. A well-rounded study plan is your best friend.

Your Advantages

Pronunciation is relatively easy. Indonesian and Japanese share many vowel sounds. The five Japanese vowels (a, i, u, e, o) map almost perfectly to Indonesian vowels. Consonant sounds are also largely compatible. You'll spend less time on pronunciation than speakers of many other languages.

You understand social hierarchy in language. Indonesian has formal and informal registers (anda vs. kamu, bapak/ibu, etc.) and a cultural respect for hierarchy. While Japanese keigo is far more complex, the underlying concept of adjusting your language based on social context is familiar to you.

Loan words from Dutch and English help with katakana. Indonesian has absorbed many Western loan words, and if you know some English, katakana vocabulary in Japanese (which comes primarily from English) becomes easier to decode.

Motivation and community. Indonesia has one of the world's largest communities of Japanese learners. You have access to Indonesian-language JLPT study resources, study groups, and a strong network of fellow learners.

Your Disadvantages

Kanji is a mountain. Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet exclusively. You have no prior exposure to character-based writing systems. Learning 2,136 jouyou kanji (常用漢字) is a long-term project that requires daily commitment.

Grammar is fundamentally different. Indonesian is SVO with no conjugation, no particles, and no grammatical inflection. Japanese requires you to learn an entirely new way of constructing sentences — verb endings change, particles mark grammatical roles, and word order is reversed compared to what you're used to.

Particles have no Indonesian equivalent. The Japanese particle system (は、が、を、に、で、から、まで、etc.) is one of the hardest things for Indonesian speakers because there's simply no parallel concept in Indonesian. You have to build this understanding from zero.

Recommended Study Allocation

Weekly Schedule for Indonesian Speakers

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Kanji (20 min) + Grammar drills (25 min) + Listening (15 min)
• Tuesday/Thursday: Vocabulary review (20 min) + Reading practice (25 min)
• Saturday: Full practice test section (45 min) + Weak area review
• Sunday: Kanji review + Japanese media immersion (30 min)

Chinese Speakers JLPT Strategy

If you speak Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), you have the single biggest advantage on the JLPT: kanji. But don't let that make you overconfident — the sections where you're weak can easily sink your score if you neglect them.

Your Advantages

Kanji is your superpower. You already know the meaning of most kanji used in Japanese. While readings differ (Japanese has both on'yomi and kun'yomi), the characters themselves are familiar. At higher JLPT levels (N2, N1), where kanji-heavy vocabulary dominates, this advantage becomes enormous.

Vocabulary comes quickly. Many Japanese words use the same characters with the same meaning as Chinese. 経済 (けいざい / economy), 教育 (きょういく / education), 環境 (かんきょう / environment) — you can often guess meanings accurately.

Reading comprehension is strong. Even without knowing grammar perfectly, you can often extract meaning from written passages by reading the kanji. This gives you a huge edge in the reading section, especially on longer passages where context helps fill in gaps.

Your Disadvantages

Grammar requires a complete mental shift. Chinese is SVO with minimal inflection. Japanese is SOV with extensive conjugation. You need to rewire how you construct sentences — verbs go at the end, particles mark every grammatical relationship, and verb forms change based on tense, politeness, and function.

Listening is often the weakest section. Chinese speakers frequently report that listening is their hardest JLPT section. Japanese pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation patterns are quite different from Chinese. The speed of natural speech combined with unfamiliar grammar patterns makes listening comprehension genuinely difficult.

Kanji readings are tricky. Knowing what a kanji means doesn't tell you how to pronounce it in Japanese. Many kanji have multiple readings, and choosing the wrong one is a common mistake for Chinese speakers. The JLPT explicitly tests reading knowledge.

Recommended Study Allocation

Weekly Schedule for Chinese Speakers

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Grammar study (30 min) + Listening practice (25 min)
• Tuesday/Thursday: Kanji readings review (15 min) + Listening drills (30 min)
• Saturday: Practice test with focus on listening + grammar (50 min)
• Sunday: Podcast/drama listening immersion + Grammar pattern review (30 min)

Spanish Speakers JLPT Strategy

Spanish speakers have an interesting profile for the JLPT. Your pronunciation is surprisingly compatible with Japanese, but the writing system and grammar present steep learning curves.

Your Advantages

Pronunciation is remarkably close. Japanese and Spanish share a nearly identical five-vowel system (a, i, u, e, o). Most consonant sounds exist in both languages too. Spanish speakers consistently have some of the clearest Japanese pronunciation among Western language speakers. This helps with both speaking confidence and listening comprehension.

You're comfortable with verb conjugation. Spanish has extensive verb conjugation (tenses, moods, irregular forms). While Japanese conjugation is different in specifics, the concept of changing verb endings to express different meanings is already natural to you. You won't be shocked by the idea that verbs transform.

Katakana loan words from English. If you have even intermediate English skills, the large number of English-origin katakana words in Japanese become accessible.

Your Disadvantages

Kanji is a massive undertaking. Coming from a Latin alphabet background, you have zero prior experience with character-based writing. Every single kanji must be learned from scratch. This is the single biggest time investment for Spanish speakers studying for the JLPT.

Grammar structure is reversed. Spanish is SVO; Japanese is SOV. The particle system has no parallel in Spanish. Relative clauses come before the noun in Japanese (opposite of Spanish). These structural differences require significant adjustment.

Honorific language is unfamiliar. While Spanish has tú/usted and some regional politeness distinctions, Japanese keigo operates on a fundamentally different level of complexity with humble, respectful, and polite forms that change verbs, nouns, and even sentence structure.

Recommended Study Allocation

Weekly Schedule for Spanish Speakers

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Kanji study (25 min) + Grammar drills (20 min) + Listening (10 min)
• Tuesday/Thursday: Vocabulary with kanji writing (25 min) + Reading practice (20 min)
• Saturday: Full practice test section (45 min) + Kanji review
• Sunday: Grammar pattern review + Japanese media immersion (30 min)

Section-by-Section Tips by Native Language

Now let's look at each JLPT section and give specific advice based on your language background.

Vocabulary Section (語彙)

Grammar Section (文法)

Reading Section (読解)

Listening Section (聴解)

Study Schedule Template by Language Background

Here's a more detailed four-week template you can adapt. Adjust hours based on your target JLPT level (N5 needs less total time, N1 needs more).

Template A: Grammar-Strong Background (Korean Speakers)

Weekly total: 7-10 hours

Template B: Vocabulary-Strong Background (Vietnamese, Chinese Speakers)

Weekly total: 7-10 hours

Template C: Balanced Approach (Indonesian, Spanish Speakers)

Weekly total: 8-12 hours

Tips for Speakers of Other Languages

While we've focused on five major language groups, here are quick tips for speakers of other languages:

Thai speakers: Similar to Vietnamese, you have tonal ear advantages for listening. Thai also has some Pali/Sanskrit vocabulary overlap with Japanese through Buddhist terminology. Grammar (especially particles and verb conjugation) will be your biggest challenge.

Hindi/Urdu speakers: SOV word order is the same as Japanese — a significant grammar advantage. The concept of postpositions (Hindi) maps to Japanese particles. Kanji will be your main challenge since Devanagari/Nastaliq are completely different systems.

Arabic speakers: You're used to a non-Latin script, which psychologically prepares you for kanji learning. Arabic's root-based morphology gives you a framework for thinking about how kanji combine to create meaning. Grammar structure (VSO) is very different from Japanese, so expect significant adjustment.

French speakers: Similar to Spanish speakers but without the pronunciation advantage (French vowels differ more from Japanese). Your experience with verb conjugation helps. Leverage any kanji-learning techniques designed for Western language speakers.

Russian speakers: You already know a different alphabet (Cyrillic), which makes the leap to learning kana less daunting. Russian has some case-marking that loosely parallels Japanese particles. Focus on kanji and the SOV word order shift.

Tagalog/Filipino speakers: Filipino has some Japanese loan words from the WWII era. The verb-focus nature of Filipino gives you some familiarity with how Japanese centers sentences around verbs. Pronunciation is relatively compatible.

Turkish speakers: Turkish is SOV with agglutinative morphology — your grammar intuition will serve you well in Japanese. Particles and verb conjugation patterns will feel more natural to you than to most Western language speakers. Kanji is your main hurdle.

Real Learner Insights

We asked JLPT test takers from different language backgrounds to share their biggest lessons learned. Here's what they said:

Minji (Korean, passed N2): "I wasted three months studying grammar when I should have been drilling kanji. My Korean grammar instincts were already doing the work — I just didn't trust them. Once I shifted 80% of my study time to kanji and listening, my practice test scores jumped immediately. My advice: take a diagnostic test early and be honest about where you actually struggle."

Linh (Vietnamese, passed N3): "The Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary connection is real, but it takes effort to activate. I made a spreadsheet matching Hán-Việt words to Japanese equivalents and reviewed it on my commute. Within a month, I could guess the meaning of maybe 40% of unfamiliar N3 vocabulary. For grammar though, I had to start from absolute zero and treat it like a completely new system. No shortcuts there."

Adi (Indonesian, passed N4): "The hardest part for me was particles. I kept forgetting them or using the wrong ones because Indonesian doesn't have anything similar. What helped was writing a diary in Japanese every day — even just three sentences. Forcing myself to use particles in real sentences made them stick better than any textbook drill. Also, finding Indonesian JLPT study communities on Telegram was a game-changer for motivation."

Wei (Chinese, passed N1): "Everyone told me JLPT would be easy because I know kanji. Wrong. I barely passed N2 the first time because my listening score was terrible. For N1, I changed everything: I listened to NHK news every morning, shadowed Japanese YouTube videos for 20 minutes daily, and did listening-only practice tests twice a week. My grammar needed serious work too. Don't make my mistake — respect the sections you're weak at."

Carlos (Spanish, passed N3): "My pronunciation was good from day one, which gave me false confidence. Reading and vocabulary were the real battles. I used the Heisig 'Remembering the Kanji' method and combined it with a vocabulary app. For grammar, I found that translating Spanish sentences into Japanese word order was the best exercise for rewiring my brain. It felt unnatural for months, but eventually SOV started making sense."

Example Sentences Table

Here are example sentences that illustrate common JLPT patterns. Practice reading these regardless of your language background:

FAQ

Q: I speak a language not covered in this guide. How do I figure out my strategy?

A: Ask yourself three questions. (1) Does my language share word order with Japanese (SOV)? If yes, grammar will be easier. (2) Does my language use Chinese-origin vocabulary? If yes, you have a vocabulary advantage. (3) Does my language have sounds similar to Japanese? If yes, listening and pronunciation will be smoother. Allocate more study time to whichever areas don't get a "yes."

Q: I'm bilingual — should I use strategies from both languages?

A: Absolutely. If you speak both Korean and English, for example, you can leverage Korean for grammar intuition and English for katakana loan words. Combine the advantages from each language background. Many successful JLPT takers use resources in multiple languages.

Q: Does my native language advantage decrease at higher JLPT levels?

A: It shifts rather than decreases. At N5-N4, basic grammar and vocabulary advantages are most impactful. At N2-N1, vocabulary advantages (especially Sino-Vietnamese and Chinese character knowledge) become increasingly powerful because the vocabulary becomes more academic and Chinese-origin. Grammar advantages remain steady across all levels.

Q: How many hours should I study per week for each JLPT level?

A: As a rough guide: N5 requires 5-7 hours/week for 3-4 months. N4 requires 7-10 hours/week for 4-6 months. N3 requires 8-12 hours/week for 6-9 months. N2 requires 10-15 hours/week for 9-12 months. N1 requires 12-20 hours/week for 12-18 months. These estimates assume you're applying language-specific strategies — studying inefficiently can double these numbers.

Q: Should I study from textbooks in my native language or in English/Japanese?

A: Use your native language for grammar explanations (especially at lower levels) since understanding the "why" matters. Use Japanese-only materials for reading and listening practice as much as possible. English-language JLPT resources tend to be the most comprehensive, so use them for practice tests and drilling even if English isn't your first language.

Final Thoughts

The JLPT is the same test for everyone, but the path to passing is not. A Korean speaker who spends 40% of their time on grammar is wasting effort they could put into kanji. A Chinese speaker who neglects listening practice because "kanji is easy" will fail sections they didn't expect to struggle with.

Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Take a diagnostic practice test early. Look at your scores section by section and compare them to the patterns we've described for your language background. Then build a study plan that puts your time where it actually needs to go.

Your native language isn't a limitation — it's a roadmap. Use it.

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