NihonNestA free 8-week N5 study plan
Quick answer
This plan is eight weeks of N5 work: kana, then words, then grammar, then reading and listening, then one mock. You can read it for free and start kana for free. It is a shape for your weeks, not a promise that you will pass, and not an official JLPT score.
Give the plan about 10 minutes on the days you can. Missing a day does not reset the week. Kana costs nothing. Later word, grammar, reading, and listening sets use the same credit rules as the rest of NihonNest. The plan itself is free.
Week 1. Hiragana
Learn the basic 46 hiragana, one row a day. Say the sound, cover the romaji, and write the shape once. Stop when the 10 minutes are gone, even if a row is unfinished. Words can wait.
Week 2. Katakana
Learn the basic 46 katakana. Match each shape to the sound you already know from hiragana. Keep a two-minute hiragana review at the start of the session so week 1 does not fade.
Week 3. First words
Open the N5 word path. Start with food and other daily words. Five new cards in a session is enough. The vocabulary guide shows 60 of the cards. The full path has 745.
Week 4. More words
Add people, time, and places. Read the kana before you look at the English. On two days this week, do only reviews and add nothing new.
Week 5. Core grammar
One pattern a day from the start of the grammar guide: は, の, を, に, で, へ, and か, plus です and ます if the week still has room. Read the example in Japanese, then kana, then say the English.
Week 6. More grammar
Add たい, てください, ません, ました, ましょう, and the い-adjective past かった. Keep one example per pattern. Do not collect more sentences than you can read aloud.
Week 7. Reading and listening
Take one short N5 reading set and one short N5 listening set. Read the kana first. Listen once without the text, then again with it. If a set is still locked, stay on words and grammar and come back.
Week 8. Mock, then review
Do one short mock in the app, then review the cards you missed. The mock is a study signal. Not an official JLPT score. If it feels early, repeat weeks 3 to 7. Eight weeks is a shape, not a deadline. The how-long page explains why a short daily habit is only the start of the hours people cite.
FAQ
Is this plan free?
Yes. You can read it free, and kana is free in the app. Later sets use the same credit rules as the rest of NihonNest. The plan does not ask you to pay to look at it.
What if I only have 10 minutes?
Do the first task of the week and stop. One kana row, five words, or one grammar example is a finished day.
Is the week 8 mock the real JLPT?
No. Not an official JLPT score. NihonNest is not affiliated with or endorsed by the JLPT.
Can I take longer than 8 weeks?
Yes. The weeks are an order, not a deadline. Kana still comes before words, and words and grammar come before you lean on the mock.
More guides
NihonNest is not affiliated with or endorsed by the JLPT. Not an official JLPT score.