100+ Free Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Practice Questions
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次の文に文法的な誤り（ら抜き言葉）が含まれているものを選びなさい。 (Choose the sentence that contains the grammatical error known as ら抜き言葉 (ra-dropping).)
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Key Facts: Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Exam
Nihongo Kentei Level 1 (1級) is the highest grade of Japan's MEXT-supported Japanese-language exam for native speakers, a 60-minute, mostly multiple-choice test across seven areas (keigo, grammar, vocabulary, word meaning, orthography, kanji, comprehensive) requiring about 80% to pass.
Sample Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Practice Questions
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1知人への礼状で、相手の奥様にも挨拶を伝えたい。空欄に入る最も適切な敬称はどれか。 「ご厚志、誠にありがとうございます。ご（ ）にもくれぐれもよろしくお伝えくださいませ。」 (In a thank-you letter, you wish to send regards to the recipient's wife. Which honorific term fits the blank?)
2次の文の敬語の使い方として最も適切なものを選びなさい。取引先の担当者が来訪したときの受付の応対。 (Choose the most appropriate honorific usage. A receptionist responding when a client's representative arrives.)
3二重敬語（過剰敬語）になっている表現を一つ選びなさい。 (Select the expression that is an example of double honorific — an over-use of keigo.)
4「敬語の指針」（文化庁）が示す敬語の5分類のうち、「いたす」「申す」のように自分側の動作を相手に対して丁重に述べる敬語はどれか。 (Of the five categories of keigo defined by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which class do verbs like いたす and 申す belong to — describing one's own action politely toward the listener?)
5上司に資料を渡すときの言い方として、敬語の使い方が正しいものを選びなさい。 (Choose the grammatically correct keigo for handing a document to your boss.)
6次のうち、相手の家族を敬って言う表現として正しい組み合わせはどれか。 (Which pairing correctly uses honorific terms for the addressee's family members?)
7電話応対で、不在の上司（田中部長）について取引先に伝える言い方として最も適切なものを選びなさい。 (On the phone, telling a client about your absent boss (Manager Tanaka). Choose the most appropriate phrasing.)
8「させていただく」の使い方が適切な文を一つ選びなさい。 (Choose the sentence where させていただく is used appropriately.)
9次の文の下線部の敬語表現を、正しい謙譲語I に直したものを選びなさい。 「私は明日、先生のお宅へ＿行きます＿。」 (Convert the underlined verb 行きます into the correct humble form (謙譲語I) for visiting the teacher's home.)
10美化語として適切に使われている文を選びなさい。 (Choose the sentence that uses word-beautification (美化語) appropriately.)
About the Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Exam
The Nihongo Kentei (日本語検定), nicknamed Goken (語検), is a Japanese-language proficiency examination designed for native and near-native speakers — business professionals, university students, and graduates — rather than foreign learners. Unlike the JLPT, which uses N-levels for learners, the Nihongo Kentei uses seven 級 (kyū) levels from 7級 (lowest) up to 1級 (highest, advanced professional). Level 1 (1級) targets people who must handle Japanese at an advanced professional level and tests genuine native-level precision. The exam is predominantly multiple-choice and covers seven areas: 敬語 (keigo / honorifics), 文法 (grammar), 語彙 (vocabulary), 言葉の意味 (word meaning and usage), 表記 (orthography), 漢字 (kanji), and 総合問題 (comprehensive reading-in-context). It is administered by the Nihongo Kentei Committee with support from Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT) and is held twice a year, in June and November. The Level 1 sitting lasts 60 minutes, costs about 6,800 yen, and requires roughly 80% overall to be certified (about 70–79% earns quasi-Level 1). Content emphasizes choosing the socially correct honorific, identifying proper kanji and orthography, distinguishing easily-confused vocabulary, and understanding idioms, proverbs, and four-character compounds.
Questions
100 scored questions
Time Limit
60 minutes for Level 1 (1級).
Passing Score
Approximately 80% overall for 1級 certification; approximately 70–79% overall earns 準1級 (quasi-Level 1). The former per-domain 50% minimum was abolished effective FY2025.
Exam Fee
Approximately 6,800 yen for Level 1 (1級), 2026. (Nihongo Kentei Committee (日本語検定委員会), a MEXT-supported (文部科学省後援) examination body.)
Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Exam Content Outline
Keigo (Honorifics)
Selecting the correct honorific among the five Agency for Cultural Affairs categories (尊敬語, 謙譲語I・II, 丁寧語, 美化語) and detecting double-honorific errors in business and letter contexts.
Grammar
Particles, auxiliary verbs, connectives, demonstratives, potential and causative forms, ra-dropping, and consistent register.
Vocabulary
Advanced and literary vocabulary, set adverbs, idioms, four-character compounds, synonyms, antonyms, and commonly misunderstood words.
Word Meaning and Usage
Meaning of idioms, proverbs, and literary set phrases, plus correct contextual usage of frequently misused expressions.
Orthography
Distinguishing homophone kanji and homophone words, correct okurigana, and detecting kanji-conversion errors.
Kanji
Advanced kanji readings and meanings, special readings, character sense across compounds, and radical knowledge.
Comprehensive (Reading-in-Context)
Integrated reading questions on main idea, author intent, idiom-in-context, reference resolution, connectives, and style.
How to Pass the Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: Approximately 80% overall for 1級 certification; approximately 70–79% overall earns 準1級 (quasi-Level 1). The former per-domain 50% minimum was abolished effective FY2025.
- Exam length: 100 questions
- Time limit: 60 minutes for Level 1 (1級).
- Exam fee: Approximately 6,800 yen for Level 1 (1級), 2026.
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
Nihongo Kentei 1kyu Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nihongo Kentei 1級 and how is it different from the JLPT?
The Nihongo Kentei (日本語検定), nicknamed Goken, is a Japanese-language exam for native and near-native speakers, administered by the Nihongo Kentei Committee with support from Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT). It uses seven 級 levels (1級 highest to 7級), not the JLPT's N-levels. Crucially, while the JLPT tests foreign learners, the Nihongo Kentei tests native-level correctness — proper keigo, orthography, idioms, and precise word usage — for Japanese speakers themselves.
What does the Nihongo Kentei 1級 test?
Level 1 covers seven areas, all predominantly multiple-choice: 敬語 (keigo/honorifics), 文法 (grammar), 語彙 (vocabulary), 言葉の意味 (word meaning and usage), 表記 (orthography — correct kanji/okurigana/kana), 漢字 (kanji reading and sense), and 総合問題 (comprehensive reading-in-context). The comprehensive section integrates the other six within reading passages.
How is the Nihongo Kentei 1級 scored and what do I need to pass?
Certification at 1級 requires an overall score of approximately 80% or higher. An overall score of roughly 70–79% earns 準1級 (quasi-Level 1). Effective FY2025, the older requirement that each individual domain exceed 50% was abolished, so judgment is now based on the overall percentage only.
How much does the Nihongo Kentei 1級 cost and how long is it?
The Level 1 fee is approximately 6,800 yen as of 2026, and the test lasts 60 minutes. Fees decrease for lower levels (about 5,800 yen for 2級 and 4,300 yen for 3級). Levels 4級 through 7級 are allotted 50 minutes.
When is the Nihongo Kentei held in 2026?
The Nihongo Kentei is held twice a year, in June and November. For the 2026 first session, the general (一般) venue date is Saturday, June 13, 2026, with group/準会場 venues on June 12–13, 2026. The application period for the first session runs from early March to mid-May 2026.
Who should take the Nihongo Kentei 1級?
Level 1 is aimed at native and near-native speakers who use Japanese at an advanced professional level — business people, editors, writers, educators, and university graduates who want to certify command of correct honorifics, precise vocabulary, orthography, and idiom. It is the hardest of the seven levels and is not designed as a beginner foreign-learner test.