Written by Rahul Kumar Singh · Published 26 June 2026
In my classroom in Nepal, we're all learning the same language for completely different futures. I'm on the JLPT track. Many of my classmates are studying for the JFT-Basic because they're heading to Japan on the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa. We share teachers, textbooks and tea breaks — but our exams, and the way we need to study, are genuinely different.
If you're in Nepal (or anywhere) trying to decide between the two, here's the comparison I wish someone had drawn on the whiteboard for us on day one.
What Each Exam Actually Is
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is the classic, globally recognised exam with five levels, N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). It tests vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening. There's no speaking or writing section. Universities, many employers and some visa categories use JLPT levels as their standard measure.
The JFT-Basic (Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese) is a single-level, computer-based test designed for one specific purpose: proving you can handle daily life in Japan as a worker. It's one of the accepted language requirements for the SSW visa route, and it focuses on practical situations — workplace instructions, shopping, appointments, signs.
The Differences That Actually Matter
- Purpose. JFT-Basic exists for the working-visa pathway. The JLPT is the general-purpose credential — study, work, long-term progression. If your plan is SSW, JFT-Basic (or JLPT N4) is the gate; if your plans are broader or longer-term, the JLPT ladder matters more.
- Format. JFT-Basic is taken on a computer at a test centre, with sessions available through much of the year. The JLPT is a paper test held on fixed dates — miss one, and you wait months for the next. (Check the official sites for current schedules in Nepal before planning.)
- Levels. The JLPT gives you a ladder to climb for years. JFT-Basic is pass-or-not at roughly the A2 / N4 boundary — once passed, it has done its job.
- Skills emphasis. Both test comprehension, but JFT-Basic leans hard into everyday situations, while the JLPT (especially N3 and above) increasingly rewards reading stamina and grammar precision.
What My JFT Classmates Actually Struggle With
Watching the JFT-Basic group at my school, two problems come up again and again:
First, kanji. "Basic" in the exam's name makes people expect a kana-only test. But daily life in Japan is written in kanji — station names, price tags, warning signs — and the test reflects that reality. Students who postponed kanji because "it's just the basic test" hit a wall in the reading section. I wrote more about this in why JFT-Basic students struggle with kanji.
Second, resources. Almost every textbook, app and word list is organised around JLPT levels. JFT-focused material is scarce, so JFT students end up studying from JLPT N5/N4 resources and hoping the coverage matches. It mostly does — but nobody tells them which parts to skip or emphasise. That gap is exactly why this site keeps a JFT-Basic kanji page organised by daily-life category and a dedicated JFT-Basic study roadmap.
How to Choose (a Simple Rule)
Choose based on your next 18 months, not your dream decade. Going to Japan soon for work under SSW? Take the JFT-Basic — flexible dates, purpose-built, done. Planning study, a longer career path, or unsure? Start the JLPT ladder at N5/N4 — every level keeps its value forever.
And it's not either/or. Several of my classmates passed the JFT-Basic for their visa and now sit in the JLPT class anyway, because N3 opens better job categories once they're in Japan. The exams are different doors into the same house.
Why I Chose the JLPT
I'm not on the work-visa track — Japanese started as a hobby that got out of hand, and I want the long ladder: N4, then N3, then whatever my patience allows. The JLPT's fixed dates also give my study a rhythm; there's nothing like a non-refundable exam registration to fix a lazy study week.
Whichever exam you pick, the first three months look identical anyway: kana, core grammar, first kanji. Start with the JLPT roadmap or the JFT-Basic roadmap, and the decision point will arrive when you're ready for it.
Rahul Kumar Singh
I build and write NihongoDoya. I'm a Japanese learner from Nepal — currently preparing for the JLPT N4 at a language school with native Japanese teachers — and I publish the study system I use myself, free for everyone. More about me · Say hello