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Karimen test (仮免) – Japan’s provisional licence written test

Updated 7 October 2026

Karimen (仮免, short for 仮運転免許) is Japan’s provisional driving licence. You need it before you can practise driving a car on public roads. To get one you pass a practical test on a closed course and the Karimen written test. This page covers the written test: what it contains, where the traps are and how to prepare well.

50true/false questions
30minutes
45correct to pass (90%)

Who takes the Karimen test?

Almost everyone learning for an ordinary car licence (普通免許) in Japan goes through this step. There are two common routes:

A designated driving school (指定自動車教習所): after stage 1 (basic theory and driving on the school course), you pass the school’s practical check and then sit the Karimen written test at the school.
Testing directly at the licence centre (often called 一発試験): you take both the Karimen written and practical tests at your prefecture’s licence centre. It costs less, but pass rates for the practical part are low, so prepare carefully.

If you already hold a foreign licence and want a Japanese one, a different procedure applies. See Japan licence conversion.

Karimen written test format

The test has 50 statements and you mark each one true or false. Every question is worth 1 point and you need 45, so you can afford at most 5 mistakes. Depending on where you sit it, the test may be on paper or on a computer, and some prefectures offer it in foreign languages, so check with your test location in advance.

The questions focus on what you must know before practising on real roads:

Traffic lights and hand signals from police officers.
Road signs and road markings: prohibitions, instructions, warnings, supplementary plates.
Where to drive, giving way and right of way at intersections.
Speed limits, following distance, overtaking and changing lanes.
Railway crossings, pedestrian crossings and school zones.
Where you may not stop or park, and how to park correctly.
Provisional licence rules: practice conditions, supervisors and the learner plate.

Sit a timed 50-question Karimen mock exam and see exactly which answers you missed and why.

Study and take a free mock test

5 free mock exams for every test type. Opens in your browser, nothing to install.

Where the Karimen test catches people out

The statements are usually short. The difficulty is in single words and numbers. The most common traps:

1. Absolute words

Statements with "always", "never" or "in every case" are often false, because traffic law has many exceptions. Do not treat that as a rule, though: some absolute statements are true, such as having to stop at a red light.

2. Numbers that look alike

Questions often swap a number: 5 m or 10 m, 30 km/h or 60 km/h, 6 months or 1 year. For example, stopping and parking are banned within 5 m of an intersection, but at a railway crossing the distance is 10 m before and after it. A provisional licence lasts 6 months, not a year. Learn numbers in groups so you can compare them.

3. Signs that look alike

The "road closed" sign bans pedestrians too, while the "no vehicles" sign does not. "No parking" and "no stopping or parking" differ by one diagonal bar. More on the Japanese road signs page.

4. Rules that have changed

Many older question sets online still describe the old law. For example, from 1 September 2026 the legal speed limit on ordinary roads with no centre line, lane markings or median is 30 km/h, not the 60 km/h it used to be. Studying outdated questions costs you points you should have scored.

How to pass on your first try

Learn by topic first, then do full exams. Read the key points of each lesson and answer a few questions straight away to check you understood.
Learn signs from pictures. Look at the sign, guess its meaning, then read the explanation. Compare look-alike signs in pairs.
Practise under time. 30 minutes for 50 questions is comfortable, so train yourself to read every word slowly rather than rushing.
Review mistakes repeatedly. You only really know a question when you get it right several times on different days.
Aim for 48/50 or more on mock exams before the real test, to leave a safety margin.

Practise Karimen with ViMai Menkyo

ViMai Menkyo has 14 stage-1 lesson modules built for the Karimen test and 20 Karimen mock exams of 50 questions in 30 minutes, scored like the real one. Exams 1 to 5 are free. Every wrong answer gets an English explanation that points to the exact word that set the trap. The whole question bank is checked against current law, so you never memorise an outdated rule.

Once you hold a provisional licence, the next step is the Honmen test for your full licence.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Karimen test and what is the pass mark?

The Karimen written test has 50 true/false questions with a 30-minute limit. Each question is worth 1 point and you need at least 45 (90%) to pass.

How long is a provisional licence valid?

A provisional licence is valid for 6 months. If it expires before you pass the Honmen test, you have to take the Karimen tests again.

Can I drive alone with a provisional licence?

No. A provisional licence is only for practice or tests. A qualified supervisor must sit next to you and the car must show a learner plate. Practice on expressways is not allowed.