Here’s my example table:.
Completed N5: Can watch any Anime without looking at subs 4% of the time or understand 4% of what real people are saying.
N4: 15%.
N3: 30%.
N2: 60%.
Barely passing N1: 80%.
Everything N1 has to offer: 98%.
I’m only in the middle of N3, but am I correct in my assumptions? What is your opinion?
3 comments
Conveniently enough, the JLPT website has a survey that answers this question, based on the self-reported competency levels of people who have passed different levels of the test: https://www.jlpt.jp/e/about/pdf/cdslist_e_all.pdf
N3 onwards might be a bit higher, depending on the genre and audience. The tricky bit will be speed or dialects/idiosyncratic speech.
It’s simply not possible to convert JLPT level into a simple number that represents comprehension in any meaningful way.
Every learner’s level is different. Take multiple people at “N3” level, one might have passed by the skin of their teeth, one may have aced it with a perfect score, and everything in between. Some learners may have focused extensively on listening while others may have been more into reading. Anyone is going to be better at what they have more practice with, and struggle with things they don’t.
Likewise, every anime/manga/conversation with real people, etc. etc. is different. Different topics and genres are going to involve different vocabulary. You might listen to real-life conversations between Japanese people at the office every day, but struggle to understand a sci-fi anime filled with weird terms you’re hearing for the first time. Or vice versa, if you watch anime all the time but have never worked in a Japanese business setting.
Literally the only way to answer this question is by saying that **(1)** **the better your Japanese is, the more Japanese you will be able to understand,** and **(2) you will be better at understanding the type(s) of Japanese that you have more practice/experience with.**
Everything else is pure speculation or just a vague guideline (e.g. someone at roughly N3 level can *probably* function at this level in this situation, etc.).
*edited for clarity*