๐Ÿ—บ Learning Roadmap
๐Ÿ—บ
๐ŸŽฏ Study Plan  ยท  Zero โ†’ Job in Japan

Your Complete
Japanese Learning
Roadmap

N5 โ†’ N4 โ†’ N3 โ†’ Work in Japan

A clear, step-by-step path from absolute beginner to JLPT N3 โ€” the level that opens the door to real employment in Japan. Every stage maps directly to modules inside NIHONGO WORK.

3
JLPT LEVELS
12โ€“18
MONTHS
10+
MODULES
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต
GOAL
JUMP TO ๐ŸŒฑ N5 Beginner ๐Ÿ“ˆ N4 Elementary ๐ŸŽฏ N3 โ†’ Japan ๐Ÿ’ผ Job Opportunities โšก Site Strengths ๐Ÿ“‹ Overview
STAGE 0
Before You Begin
ใ‚ ใ‚ข
Hiragana & Katakana
THE JAPANESE ALPHABETS ยท 2โ€“4 WEEKS
Non-negotiable first step
Before any vocabulary, grammar, or kanji โ€” you must be able to read hiragana and katakana fluently. These two phonetic scripts are the foundation of everything else. Most learners master both within 2โ€“4 weeks of daily practice.
ใ‚
๐Ÿ“ Characters Module
Flash + quiz for all 46+46 characters. Speed-drill until recognition is instant.
๐ŸŽฏ
Target: Read any hiragana or katakana without hesitation before moving to N5.
โฌ‡
STAGE 1
JLPT N5 โ€” Beginner
โฑ Estimated time: 2โ€“3 months (daily study ~45 min)
N5
JLPT N5 โ€” Absolute Beginner
~800 WORDS ยท ~100 KANJI ยท BASIC GRAMMAR
Entry level Survival Japanese
N5 covers the very basics โ€” greetings, numbers, time, everyday objects, and simple sentence structures. After passing N5 you can introduce yourself, ask for directions, read simple signs, and have very basic conversations. It is not enough for employment, but it proves you have made a start.
๐Ÿ“–
Vocabulary โ€” N5
~800 words with readings, meanings & Bengali translations.
๐Ÿˆถ
Kanji โ€” N5
~100 basic kanji: readings and usage examples.
๐Ÿ•
Time & Numbers
Hours, dates, counters โ€” essential for daily life.
๐Ÿ“—
Grammar & Particles
N5 sentence patterns + 18 particle types.
๐Ÿ”„
Verb Conjugation โ€” N5
Basic forms: te-form, nai-form, ta-form.
๐Ÿ“
Adjective Conjugation
ใ„-adj and ใช-adj: negative, past, te-form.
Month 1: Complete hiragana/katakana drill + N5 vocabulary (first 400 words).
Month 2: N5 kanji + grammar + time/numbers. Start verb conjugation.
Month 3: Review all weak items via Review Quiz. Take N5 mock exam. Sit the JLPT exam.
๐Ÿ“Œ
N5 alone is not enough for employment in Japan. It is the foundation. Keep going โ€” the real opportunities start at N4 and open fully at N3.
โฌ‡
STAGE 2
JLPT N4 โ€” Elementary
โฑ Estimated time: 4โ€“6 months after N5
N4
JLPT N4 โ€” Elementary
~1,500 WORDS ยท ~300 KANJI ยท EXPANDED GRAMMAR
First milestone Simple conversations
N4 significantly expands vocabulary, kanji, and grammar. You can now understand everyday conversations at a slower pace, read simple texts, and handle basic workplace communication. Some technical jobs and factories in Japan accept N4 holders, but most office and professional roles require N3.
๐Ÿ“–
Vocabulary โ€” N4
~700 new words on top of N5. Includes work & life vocabulary.
๐Ÿˆถ
Kanji โ€” N4
~200 new kanji. Many appear in job sites and documents.
๐Ÿ”„
Verb Conjugation โ€” N4
Passive, potential, causative, conditional forms.
๐ŸŽ“
JLPT N4 Mock Tests Aโ€“D
4 full-length vocabulary exams with timer. Real exam format.
๐Ÿ’ผ
Business Etiquette Quiz
99 โ—‹ร— questions on Japanese workplace culture. Start now.
๐Ÿ“–
Irodori Vocabulary
Practical Japanese for life and work in Japan (immigrant-focused).
Month 1โ€“2: N4 vocabulary + kanji. Daily Review Quiz to consolidate N5 + new items.
Month 3โ€“4: N4 verb conjugation + start Business Etiquette quiz.
Month 5โ€“6: Take all 4 mock tests (Aโ€“D). Target 70%+ on each before the real exam.
๐Ÿ’ก
Use the Long-term Memory Test daily in the final month before the exam. It pulls your weakest questions from every module at once โ€” the fastest way to close gaps.
โฌ‡
STAGE 3
JLPT N3 โ€” The Gateway
โฑ Estimated time: 6โ€“8 months after N4
THE TURNING POINT
Pass N3 and
Japan is within reach.
JLPT N3 is widely recognised as the minimum level for professional employment in Japan. At this level you can understand the main points of texts on everyday topics, follow standard-speed conversation, and communicate clearly in most workplace situations. For Bangladeshi engineers and technical workers, N3 combined with a specialist skill is a powerful combination.
โœ…
Most Japanese companies list N3 or above as the minimum language requirement for technical and skilled worker visas.
๐Ÿ—
The Specified Skilled Worker (็‰นๅฎšๆŠ€่ƒฝ) visa โ€” the most accessible route for Bangladeshi workers โ€” requires N4 for the visa but N3 for most actual hiring.
โšก
Electrical workers with the ้›ปๆฐ—ๅทฅไบ‹ๅฃซ licence and N3 Japanese are in active demand. Our specialised module prepares you for both simultaneously.
๐Ÿ’ด
Average monthly salary in Japan for skilled workers: ยฅ200,000โ€“ยฅ280,000 (approx. เงณ180,000โ€“เงณ250,000). Significantly higher than comparable roles in Bangladesh.
~3,750
VOCABULARY
~650
KANJI
N4+
REQUIRED
N3
JLPT N3 โ€” Intermediate
~3,750 WORDS ยท ~650 KANJI ยท NATURAL CONVERSATION
Employment threshold Workplace ready
N3 bridges everyday Japanese and professional Japanese. At this level you can read news articles, understand television programmes at normal speed, and communicate independently in most work situations without a translator. The vocabulary includes many words used in professional and technical contexts.
๐Ÿ“–
Vocabulary โ€” N3
Advanced vocabulary layer. Study via flash + quiz, then Review.
๐Ÿˆถ
Kanji โ€” N3
~280 additional kanji. Many appear in contracts and official documents.
โšก
Electrical Worker Module
599 specialist terms. Study alongside N3 for maximum efficiency.
๐Ÿ’ผ
Business Etiquette Quiz
Master all 99 situations. Japanese workplace culture is as important as language.
Month 1โ€“3: N3 vocabulary + kanji. Heavy use of Review Quiz and Long-term Memory.
Month 4โ€“5: Add Electrical Worker module if relevant to your career. Study 30 min/day.
Month 6โ€“8: Full exam simulation. Target 60%+ pass score on all sections.
AFTER N3
Job Opportunities in Japan
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต
Japan is currently facing a severe labour shortage in skilled trades. The government actively recruits through the ็‰นๅฎšๆŠ€่ƒฝ (Specified Skilled Worker) visa program. Bangladeshi workers with N3 Japanese and a technical skill are among the most sought-after candidates.
โšก
Electrical Worker
Installation, maintenance, and inspection. High demand in construction and manufacturing.
โšก N3 + ้›ปๆฐ—ๅทฅไบ‹ๅฃซ
๐Ÿ—
Construction & Civil
Structural work, site management assistant, equipment operation.
๐Ÿ— N3 + Technical cert
๐Ÿญ
Manufacturing
Machine operation, quality control, production line work in factories.
๐Ÿญ N3 minimum
๐Ÿ–ฅ
IT / Engineering
Software development, system maintenance, technical support for Japanese companies.
๐Ÿ–ฅ N3 + IT skills
๐Ÿ“‹
Specified Skilled Worker Visa (็‰นๅฎšๆŠ€่ƒฝ)
This visa allows Bangladeshi nationals to work in Japan in 12 designated industries. Requirements: pass the Japanese Language Test (N4 minimum, N3 preferred) + pass the relevant industry skills test. Duration: up to 5 years, renewable.
๐Ÿ’ก
The ้›ปๆฐ—ๅทฅไบ‹ๅฃซ (Electrical Worker) licence exam is available in Bangladesh through JITCO-certified test centres. Passing it alongside JLPT N3 gives you a two-credential advantage that very few candidates have.
WHY THIS SITE
NIHONGO WORK's Unique Strengths
โšก
โšก Electrical Worker Specialist Course
No other Japanese learning platform offers a dedicated ้›ปๆฐ—ๅทฅไบ‹ๅฃซ module. Our 599-word database โ€” 409 kanji, 106 katakana terms, 84 technical compound terms โ€” is drawn directly from the exam curriculum and real job-site vocabulary. Study it alongside N3 and you graduate ready for both the language exam and the trade licence in one go.
Exclusive content 599 specialist terms
๐ŸŽ“
๐ŸŽ“ Four Full N4 Mock Exams
Tests A, B, C, and D each replicate the real JLPT N4 vocabulary section with authentic question types (ๅ•1โ€“ๅ•5). Timed at 30 minutes. Wrong answers feed directly into the Review Quiz system, creating a personalised weak-point drill after every exam session.
Real exam format 4 ร— 30-min tests
๐Ÿง 
๐Ÿง  Adaptive Review System
Every wrong answer from every quiz is automatically captured. The Review Quiz and Long-term Memory Test draw on this pool to generate personalised drills that focus exactly where you need it most. The system works across all modules โ€” vocabulary, kanji, verbs, business etiquette, and electrical terms.
Cross-module Personalised
๐Ÿ“–
๐Ÿ“– Irodori + JLPT in One Place
Most apps cover JLPT vocabulary only. NIHONGO WORK also includes the ใ„ใ‚ใฉใ‚Š (Irodori) practical Japanese series โ€” the curriculum designed specifically for foreign workers living in Japan. This real-life vocabulary complements JLPT study and prepares you for conversations that textbooks miss.
Irodori included N5 ยท N4 ยท N3
๐Ÿ’ผ
๐Ÿ’ผ Business Etiquette โ€” 99 Situations
Language alone is not enough for a Japanese workplace. Our โ—‹ร— quiz covers 99 real business etiquette scenarios โ€” bowing etiquette, business card exchange, meeting protocols, email conventions, and more. Passing this quiz mentally prepares you before you even land at Narita.
Culture & language 99 situations
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Built for Bangladeshi Learners
Every vocabulary item includes a Bengali translation. The interface supports Japanese, English, and Bengali. All content is calibrated to the learning challenges and career goals of Bangladeshi engineers โ€” not generic Western learners. This is the only JLPT platform made specifically for you.
Trilingual Bengali translations
OVERVIEW
Full Roadmap at a Glance
LEVEL
KEY MODULES ON THIS SITE
TIMELINE
OUTCOME
ใ‚ ใ‚ข
๐Ÿ“ Characters
2โ€“4 weeks
Read hiragana & katakana fluently
N5
๐Ÿ“– Vocab ยท ๐Ÿˆถ Kanji ยท ๐Ÿ• Time ยท ๐Ÿ“— Grammar ยท ๐Ÿ”„ Verbs
2โ€“3 months
JLPT N5 pass. Survival Japanese.
N4
๐Ÿ“– Vocab ยท ๐Ÿˆถ Kanji ยท ๐Ÿ”„ Verbs ยท ๐ŸŽ“ Mock Tests Aโ€“D ยท ๐Ÿ’ผ Biz
4โ€“6 months
JLPT N4 pass. Basic workplace Japanese.
N3
๐Ÿ“– Vocab ยท ๐Ÿˆถ Kanji ยท โšก Electrical ยท ๐Ÿ’ผ Biz ยท ๐Ÿง  LT Review
6โ€“8 months
JLPT N3 pass โ†’ Japan employment ready ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต
๐Ÿš€
Total timeline: 12โ€“18 months of consistent study. That is one to one-and-a-half years from zero Japanese to being job-ready for Japan. Every hour you put into this platform compounds โ€” the Review System means no study is ever wasted.