N#~~~JLPT Level Names


This has been on my mind for a while with nowhere to really ask it. What does
the "N" in the JLPT levels (such as N1-N5) stand for? My current theory is
[能力]{のうりょく} since these denote the level of skill one possesses, but I'm not
certain. This isn't really a burning question either; I just like knowing
weird facts like this.




In their
[新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版](https://www.jlpt.jp/reference/pdf/guidebook_s_j.pdf)
they say:

> 「N」は「Nihongo（[日本語]{にほんご}）」、「New（[新]{あたら}しい）」を[表]{あらわ}します。




In their
[新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版](https://www.jlpt.jp/reference/pdf/guidebook_s_j.pdf)
they say:

> 「N」は「Nihongo（[日本語]{にほんご}）」、「New（[新]{あたら}しい）」を[表]{あらわ}します。

