Changelog
See all updates, improvements, and new features on JLPTBooks.com
Japanese Typing Is Easier to Find
The typing course now appears on the homepage, in the footer and on the Tools page. Its page adds a short guide to how Japanese typing works, how to turn on a Japanese keyboard on your own computer, and answers to common questions, in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Practice Hub, Game Center and profile labels for the course are now translated too.
Homepage Accuracy Pass
Content counts now leave out quizzes and mock exams that are offline while their answer keys are rebuilt (N4βN1 practice exams and seven quizzes). Book ratings appear only where we have one, alongside the number of ratings, and the "Editor's Pick" label is now "Highest rated". The quick level check and daily challenge no longer put most correct answers in the same position, and the daily set now changes each day. The exam countdown uses the verified official date, the level hour and word figures are labelled as pre-2010 guides, and the newsletter box, which promised emails that were never sent, is replaced by the one study-plan email we do send. Removed the homepage link to unverified success stories.
New: Japanese Typing Course
Added a free Japanese typing course with 61 lessons: hiragana, then katakana, then kanji, finishing with 17 short stories, speeches and articles to type in full. You type romaji on an ordinary keyboard, so no Japanese keyboard or input method is needed. Lessons include kana audio, an on-screen keyboard with finger guides, stroke-order references, and QWERTY or Dvorak layouts. Speed, accuracy, stars and completed lessons save in your browser, and signed-in learners can sync them to their account and see them on their profile.
Editorial Standards and About Page Updates
Updated About and standards pages to describe how we select and review recommendations, with clearer independence, source, and corrections wording.
Optional Accounts, Cloud Sync, and Privacy Updates
Added optional email/password and Google account flows, profile settings, local-first progress sync, password reset recovery, account dashboard analytics, multilingual account copy, and updated privacy/terms disclosures for synced learning data and email capture.
New Full Reviews: TOBIRA Beginning Japanese & QUARTET
Published comprehensive reviews for TOBIRA I: Beginning Japanese and QUARTET I: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills, including detailed testing notes, strengths/limitations, learner-fit guidance, and practical study recommendations. Also added both books to the main catalog and new community review entries.
New Community-Submitted Resources
Added two community-submitted resources: Unagibun JLPT Online Simulation (free JLPT practice test used by tens of thousands annually) and γγγγγγγγ / Japanese Conversations YouTube channel (conversational Japanese for N5/N4/N3 learners).
Core Web Vitals Performance Optimization
Comprehensive performance optimization targeting PageSpeed 90+. Fixed render-blocking Google Fonts with async loading, optimized 18 animations to use GPU-composited transforms only, reduced sakura petal animations, improved color contrast accessibility, fixed heading hierarchy, and added security headers (HSTS, CSP). Expected improvements: LCP 4.9sβ2.0s, CLS 0.48β0.05, Performance 57β90+.
Study Schedule Generator - Mark Complete Button Fix
Fixed the "Mark as Complete" button in the Daily View not updating the UI immediately. Sessions now correctly show as completed with updated status badge, session count, and progress indicators when marked complete.
Mock Exams UI Redesign
Completely redesigned Mock Exams pages with compact card layouts, collapsible section details, and improved exam-taking interface with smaller timer, navigation, and question cards for better usability.
Study Schedule Generator Bug Fixes
Fixed past date validation showing negative percentages, added missing translation keys for calendar view and activity types, and improved text spacing for screen reader accessibility.
SEO Schema Improvements
Fixed duplicate Product schema issues and BreadcrumbList validation errors. Added consistent @id fields across all structured data for better Google Search Console compatibility.
Accessibility Enhancements
Improved screen reader support by marking decorative kanji elements with aria-hidden. Removed duplicate skip navigation links for cleaner accessibility.
Book Level Page Filtering
Fixed initial state for JLPT level book pages (/books/n5, /books/n4, etc.) to correctly show filtered books immediately instead of showing all books briefly.
Legacy URL Redirects
Added 301 redirects for legacy URLs like /jlpt-n5 to their correct destinations (/books/n5). Improves user experience and preserves SEO link equity.
December 2025 Data Update
Updated site data timestamps and verified book information accuracy. All prices and availability reflect December 2025 data.
Weak Point Tracking System
Added personalized performance analytics that track your mistakes across quizzes and exams, providing spaced repetition recommendations for efficient study.
Free 7-Day Study Plan Offer
Introduced email signup for personalized JLPT study plans after quiz completion.
Grammar & Kanji Mini-Quizzes
Added inline practice quizzes to grammar and kanji detail pages with immediate feedback and wrong answer explanations.
Editorial Policy Page
Published comprehensive editorial policy explaining our content review process, evaluation criteria, and update schedule.
Author Attribution
Added reviewer attribution and last updated dates to all content pages for increased transparency.
About Page Refresh
Updated About page with named reviewer profiles, credentials, and data source information.
Enhanced Mock Exam Explanations
Added detailed explanations for why each wrong answer is incorrect in mock exam results.
Error Reporting Link
Added "Found an error?" link in footer for user feedback and content corrections.
Level Assessment Methodology Disclosure
Added transparency section explaining our adaptive assessment algorithm and question curation process.
N5 Book Reviews Updated
Refreshed all JLPT N5 book recommendations with 2024 pricing and availability verification.
Flashcard System Enhancement
Improved flashcard interface with better animations and progress tracking.
JLPTBooks.com Launch
Initial launch of JLPTBooks.com with comprehensive JLPT study resources, book recommendations, and interactive practice tools.