Articles
Japanese speaking,
and how to check it
Articles that answer common questions about spoken Japanese. Statements about other tests and frameworks are checked on the official sites and linked to the source.
Understanding your speaking
- Does the JLPT have a speaking test? No: three ways to check your spoken JapaneseThe JLPT has no speaking test at any level, N1 to N5. Its sections are language knowledge, reading and listening, and there are currently no plans to add speaking. Why passing N2 or N1 does not necessarily mean you can speak, and three ways to check your spoken Japanese.
- Passed JLPT N2 but can’t speak Japanese? Six things to checkThe JLPT does not measure speaking, so passing N2 or N1 does not tell you how well you speak. Split “can’t speak” into six skills (content, organisation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) and check them yourself with a one-minute recording.
- Japanese speaking levels: what CEFR A1 to C2 sound like, and how JLPT levels relateOne scale used to describe Japanese speaking levels is the CEFR, A1 to C2. What each level sounds like, how JLPT N5 to N1 and the CEFR reference on score reports relate to speaking, the ACTFL levels, and three ways to find out your own level.
About AUN
- AUN Japanese speaking test: 10 minutes, scored by a Japanese listenerAUN is a Japanese speaking test that takes about 10 minutes. Who it is for, what you are asked, what the AI review and the Japanese listener’s result contain, the price, and what happens to your recordings.
- How AUN results are decided: six skills, scored 0 to 5How results on the AUN Japanese speaking test are decided: what each level from 0 to 5 sounds like for the six skills, how the Japanese listener listens, how the ○△× marks for each situation are set, what the AI does, and the limits.