Due to a lack of decent Anki decks for JLPT examinees that aren't riddled with mistakes, filled with ads, or home to controversial vocabulary choices, I have made some.

In this post, we give instructions for finding and installing our decks, one for each JLPT level.

In addition, we now have some incredibly thorough decks for every book of the Nihongo So-Matome N3 series.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Anki, it is a free flashcard application which stores progress and shows reviews at timed intervals (based on some complex psychology) for optimal recollection. It works. I use it every day. Check it out. It also has an online version, which is perfect for studying on the move. There's also has a nifty, if pricey, iOS version.

The AccessJ Anki decks use the JLPT vocabulary from http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/, which is the most widely referenced list.

The default display for my cards looks like this (note that the Nihongo So-Matome series decks are quite different, although the basics are the same):


Any one of these elements can be moved or removed. Should you wish, you can display no kanji, only kanji, no English translation, etc etc.

I have also included the kanji reading in two different fonts, which I've never seen anyone do before, but which is vitally important - the tendency to learn only one font's representation of a kanji leaves you ill-prepared for real life! You can of course change these fonts to harder/easier to read varieties. The closest font to the official JLPT one is 教科書体, which you can download near the bottom of this page. That's used in N5, N4 and N3. N2 and N1 use MS Mincho.


Downloading
Since the current incarnation of Anki doesn't allow external linking to online decks, you'll need our little guide to download them.

  1. First, download and install Anki
  2. Now, open Anki and select "File > Download > Shared Deck"
  3. Use the keyword "accessj" or "JLPT N(your level)" and you will find our decks. Click download.
    1. Now the decks will permanently be in your Anki window when you start it up. Your progress will be automatically saved.
  4. To change the layout, select "Edit > Card Layout" during review

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