You've decided to learn Japanese for Japan. Then you hit the wall nobody warned you about: there isn't one Japanese exam — there are at least six, with names like N4, A2, J1+, 5Q and EJU, and every coaching centre, agent and forum tells you a different one is "the important one."
Here's the thing: the exam you need depends entirely on what you want to do in Japan — work, study, or settle. Take the wrong one and you've spent months and a few thousand rupees proving a level of Japanese that your actual goal doesn't ask for. Take the right one and it becomes the single line on your application that unlocks a visa, a job, or admission.
This guide is the map. By the end you'll know exactly which exam to sit for your goal, which ones you can actually take in India, what each costs in ₹, and the traps that quietly waste people's money. We'll link out to the deep-dives on each — this is the "start here" that ties them together.
Key takeaway: Start with your goal, not the exam. For most Indians it comes down to three: JFT-Basic (or JLPT N4) to work a blue-collar SSW job, JLPT (N2/N1) for skilled jobs, PR points and universities, and — for a slice of students — EJU for Japanese-taught degrees. BJT, NAT-Test and J.TEST are useful in narrow cases. If you're only sure of one thing, make it this: passing a language test alone does not get you an SSW work visa — you also need a separate skills test.
The whole landscape on one screen
Before the detail, here's every exam that matters, side by side. (Levels, fees and India availability are explained below; fees are indicative and change.)
| Exam | Best for | Levels | Speaking test? | Times/year | Sit it in India? | Fee (₹, approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JLPT | The all-rounder — jobs, universities, PR points | N5 → N1 (5 levels) | No | 2 (Jul + Dec) | Yes — ~8 cities | ~1,800–2,800 (varies by city) |
| JFT-Basic | The SSW work-visa language gate | A1 · A2.1 · A2 (pass = 200) | No | ~Monthly (CBT) | Yes — Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Guwahati | ~3,540 |
| EJU | Admission to Japanese-taught universities | Score-based (per subject) | No | 2 (Jun + Nov) | Yes — New Delhi only | ~ (set by JASSO) |
| BJT | Proving business Japanese; HSP visa points | Score 0–800 (J5 → J1+) | No | Year-round (CBT) | Limited — Pearson VUE centres | ~2,800 (verify) |
| NAT-Test | Language-school enrolment / faster COE evidence | 5Q → 1Q (= N5 → N1) | No | ~6 | Some cities (verify) | varies |
| J.TEST | Practical/business Japanese benchmark | A–F bands (score) | No | up to 6 | Not currently in India | — |
Notice something? None of these test speaking. You can hold an N1 certificate and still freeze in a conversation — a fact that surprises almost everyone, and one reason employers increasingly add their own interview. More on that below.
Start with your goal, not the alphabet soup
Pick the row that sounds like you. This is the part most guides skip.
🩺 You want a blue-collar / care / service job (the SSW route)
This is the biggest India→Japan lane right now — caregiving, food service, manufacturing, farming, hospitality. You need two things, and this is where people get it wrong:
- A language test: JFT-Basic at A2 (a score of 200+ on its 10–250 scale) or JLPT N4 or above. Either one satisfies the SSW language rule.
- A separate skills test for your specific field (run by Prometric) — e.g. the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test. The language test alone does not qualify you for the visa.
And a genuine gotcha for the most popular field: nursing care needs THREE exams — the general language test, plus a dedicated Nursing Care Japanese test, plus the care skills test.
For most Indians, JFT-Basic is the pragmatic choice here — it's built for exactly this, runs almost every month in India, and gives your result on screen the same day (JLPT runs only twice a year). Full detail: JFT-Basic exam in India and caregiver & nursing jobs. The two-test structure is covered in the SSW guide.
💻 You want a skilled/professional job (engineer, IT, specialist — the 技人国 route)
Here the honest answer is "it depends on the role." Many English-medium engineering and IT jobs ask for little or no Japanese on paper. But language-facing roles — and certain employer categories — expect around JLPT N2. If Japanese is part of the job, N2 is the number that opens doors; if it isn't, don't burn months chasing a certificate the role won't read. Work out exactly what your visa and role need in what Japanese level each visa requires and the engineer-visa language rule.
🏇 You want permanent residency faster (HSP points)
Japan's Highly Skilled Professional points system rewards Japanese ability with concrete points toward PR — and this is where the "which exam" question pays off in years of your life:
- JLPT N1 — or BJT 480+ — = 15 points
- JLPT N2 — or BJT 400+ — = 10 points
You need 70 points to qualify, so a language cert can be the difference between the standard 10-year PR wait and the HSP fast-track. (You can't stack the N2 bonus on top of the N1 bonus — you take the higher one.) See the HSP visa guide.
🎓 You want to study at a Japanese university
Two very different paths:
- English-taught degree programs (the kind in Komichi's finder) usually require NO Japanese exam at all — they admit on essays, transcripts, SAT/IB and interviews. If this is you, you may not need any exam on this list to get in (though JLPT still helps for daily life and jobs after). Start at why study in Japan.
- Japanese-taught undergraduate programs at many national/public universities require the EJU — an admission exam (Japanese + maths/science/"Japan and the World"), often alongside JLPT N2/N1. EJU is a different animal from JLPT: it tests academic readiness, not just proficiency.
🏫 You just want to enrol in a language school in Japan (and get your COE)
A beginner cert like JLPT N5, or a NAT-Test, is usually enough as supporting evidence. Language schools lean on NAT-Test precisely because it runs ~6 times a year versus JLPT's two — handy when your enrolment clock doesn't line up with a JLPT date.
🏢 You already work in corporate Japan (or want to)
BJT is the one that speaks HR's language — it measures business Japanese and is used for hiring, promotion and those HSP points. It's a niche, high-value credential, not a mass exam.
The exams, one by one (the short version — deep-dives linked)
JLPT — the one everyone means when they say "the Japanese exam"
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, run by the Japan Foundation and JEES, is the global standard. Five levels, N5 (easiest) → N1 (hardest); it tests vocabulary/grammar, reading and listening only — no speaking, no essay. It's held twice a year (first Sundays of July and December) in about eight Indian cities, with fees set by each host institution (roughly ₹1,800–2,800 by city and level).
How big is it? In 2024 the JLPT drew a record of roughly 1.7 million applicants worldwide — about 1.47 million actually sat it — up from well under a million just three years earlier. It's one of the fastest-growing exams on earth. And it's hard at the top: only about a third of candidates pass N1. The certificate never expires — though some employers ask for a result within the last couple of years. Logistics and registration: JLPT in India; free prep: how to pass JLPT N5.
JFT-Basic — the visa key built for workers
The Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese was created in 2019 specifically for the new Specified Skilled Worker visa. It's computer-based (~50 questions, 60 minutes), scored 10–250, and the number that matters is 200 = A2 = the SSW pass. You get your score on screen the same day. In India it runs year-round at just three Prometric centres — Bengaluru, Gurugram and Guwahati (notably not Delhi or Mumbai) — for about ₹3,540. It's easier and more frequent than JLPT N4, which is why it's the default for SSW candidates. In the Dec 2024–Jan 2025 window, 358 people sat it in India and about 29% passed — a reminder that "basic" still needs real study. Full guide: JFT-Basic in India; head-to-head: JFT-Basic vs JLPT N4.
EJU — the university admission exam most Indians don't actually need
Run by JASSO, the Examination for Japanese University Admission is an entrance test for Japanese-taught undergraduate programs — it bundles Japanese-as-a-foreign-language with maths, science and a "Japan and the World" paper. It's held twice a year (June, November) and — importantly — in India only in New Delhi, via MOSAI. Here's the telling number: in the first 2026 session, just 109 people sat EJU in New Delhi, out of ~26,900 worldwide. Why so few? Because the English-taught degree route most Indians take doesn't require EJU at all. If you're aiming English-medium, you can likely skip it.
BJT — the business-Japanese credential
The Business Japanese Proficiency Test, run by Kanken, measures practical workplace Japanese and is scored 0–800 across six bands (J5 → J1+). Its real value is HSP visa points (480+ = 15, 400+ = 10) and signalling to Japanese employers. It's tiny compared to JLPT — in 2016 only about 6,600 people took it worldwide (versus JLPT's ~1.5 million), so treat it as a specialist tool for people already working in, or hiring into, Japanese business. It's delivered via Pearson VUE test centres; confirm current Indian availability and fee before you plan around it.
NAT-Test and J.TEST — the gap-fillers
Because JLPT runs only twice a year, two alternatives exist to fill the calendar:
- NAT-Test mirrors JLPT's levels (5Q → 1Q = N5 → N1) and runs about six times a year. Language schools accept it for enrolment and COE evidence, and it's a great progress benchmark — but it is not as widely recognised as JLPT by employers, universities or the immigration points system. Use it to pace yourself, not as your headline credential.
- J.TEST measures practical/business Japanese and also runs more often than JLPT — but we could not find any J.TEST centre in India, so for most readers it's not a realistic option.
Numbers and hidden facts most guides skip
- The JLPT boom is real: examinees went from under a million in 2021 to a record ~1.47 million in 2024. Interest in Japan is surging — you're not early, but you're not late either.
- No exam here tests speaking. JLPT, JFT-Basic, BJT — all reading/listening. You can pass a high level and still struggle to talk, which is why interviews and real practice matter as much as the certificate.
- JFT-Basic didn't exist before 2019. It was invented to staff the SSW programme — proof of how deliberately Japan built this India-relevant work route.
- The SSW "two-test" trap: every year people pass the language test and think they're done. You are not — the field skills test is a separate exam, and nursing care needs three tests in total.
- EJU is a rounding error for India (109 examinees) — and that's fine. It signals that the smart, well-trodden path for Indians is English-taught programs that skip it.
- BJT is ~200× smaller than JLPT. Niche, but its HSP points can shave years off a PR timeline — a rare case where a small exam has outsized value.
- JLPT never expires, but recency can still matter — keep that in mind before you let an old N2 sit unused for five years.
"So which one is mine?" — three quick portraits
Priya, GNM nurse in Kerala, wants a care job in Japan. Target JFT-Basic (A2/200) — monthly, in Bengaluru, result the same day — plus the Nursing Care skills test and its care-Japanese test. JLPT N4 would also satisfy the language gate, but it's slower. → caregiver path.
Arjun, IT engineer in Pune, has an English-medium job offer. He may need no Japanese exam to land the role — but if he wants PR on the fast-track, JLPT N2 (10 HSP points) or N1 (15) is the lever to pull. → HSP points · level for each visa.
Sneha, 12th-pass, wants a degree in Japan. If she targets an English-taught program, she likely needs no exam on this list to get in. If she wants a Japanese-taught course, she's looking at EJU + JLPT N2. → why study in Japan · English-taught finder.
FAQ
Do I need JLPT to work in Japan? Not always. For SSW blue-collar jobs, JFT-Basic (A2) or JLPT N4 works — and JFT-Basic is usually the faster route. For skilled/professional roles it depends: English-medium jobs may need little Japanese, while language-facing roles often want N2. JLPT is the most widely accepted cert, but it isn't the only one.
Is JFT-Basic easier than JLPT N4? They're pitched at a similar "basic" level, but JFT-Basic is computer-based, runs almost monthly, gives your result the same day, and is built for the SSW visa — so for work-route candidates it's usually the more practical choice. Side-by-side: JFT-Basic vs JLPT N4.
Which exam helps most for permanent residency? JLPT N1 or N2 (or BJT 480/400) via the HSP points system — N1 is worth 15 points, N2 worth 10, toward the 70 you need for the fast-track. See HSP visa for Indians.
Can I take all of these in India? JLPT (≈8 cities) and JFT-Basic (Bengaluru, Gurugram, Guwahati) — yes. EJU — only in New Delhi. BJT — via Pearson VUE centres (verify). NAT-Test — some cities. J.TEST — not currently in India. Always confirm the live centre list on the test body's own site.
Does a JLPT certificate expire? No — it's permanent. But individual employers or universities may ask for a result from the last ~2 years, so don't assume an old certificate always counts.
Do I need EJU for an English-taught degree? Usually no. English-medium programs admit on essays, transcripts and interviews. EJU is mainly for Japanese-taught admissions.
JLPT is only twice a year — what if I can't wait? That's exactly the gap NAT-Test and J.TEST fill (more sittings), and why JFT-Basic (year-round CBT) suits work-route candidates on a deadline.
The one move to make now
Don't start by booking an exam. Start by naming your goal — SSW work, a skilled job, PR, or a degree — and let that pick the exam, not the other way around. For almost everyone reading this, the honest shortlist is: JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 to work, JLPT N2/N1 for skilled jobs and PR, and — only if you're going Japanese-medium — EJU to study.
Then take the first concrete step today: learn ten words free with Komichi's N5 deck, and use what Japanese level each visa needs to lock in your target. The exam is just the receipt — the Japanese is the thing that changes your life in Japan. You can absolutely do this; you just needed the map.
Sources (accessed 9 September 2026)
- JLPT — official statistics & past data and test sections (Japan Foundation / JEES) — levels, format, applicant/examinee totals, pass rates.
- JFT-Basic — official "About" and country implementation reports (Japan Foundation) — A2/200 threshold, purpose, India examinee numbers.
- Prometric — SSW skills tests — the separate field skills-test requirement.
- JASSO — EJU overview and applicants/examinees data — EJU purpose, sessions, New Delhi examinee count.
- Kanken — BJT level guide and candidate data — BJT scoring, examinee figures.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan (MOJ) — Highly Skilled Professional points table (JLPT N1/N2 and BJT 480/400 point values). Confirm current values on the ISA site before relying on them.
Where this article compares exams to a goal or estimates "which is faster," that is Komichi's reading of the official rules to help you decide — always confirm the exact current requirement for your visa, employer or university on the official source.
This article is general information, not legal, immigration, or education advice. Exam formats, fees, centre lists, and visa point values change and vary by individual circumstances — verify the latest details with each test body and the relevant Japanese authority (e.g. the Immigration Services Agency) before making decisions.