Honmen vs Karimen: What Is the Difference Between the Two Tests?

What do "karimen" and "honmen" actually mean?

Karimen is short for kari menkyo (仮免許), the provisional licence; honmen is hon menkyo (本免許), the full licence. They are two stages of the normal Japanese licensing path, not two separate licences you choose between.

First you pass the karimen written test and a driving-course test to get a provisional licence, which lets you practise on public roads with a qualified supervisor. Then you pass the honmen written test and an on-road driving test to get your full licence. Karimen comes first; honmen is the finish line.

How is the karimen written test built?

The karimen written test is 50 true/false (or multiple-choice) questions, done in 30 minutes, and you need 90% — 45 of 50 — to pass. There are no illustration questions.

It covers the core rules of the road: signs and signals, right of way, speed, stopping and parking, and definitions. Because it is the gateway to driving on public roads at all, it stays focused on the fundamentals rather than advanced hazard judgement.

How is the honmen written test built?

The honmen written test is 95 questions worth 100 points: 90 true/false questions at 1 point each, plus 5 illustration-based hazard-prediction questions at 2 points each. The time limit is 50 minutes and you need 90 points to pass. So it is longer, worth more per illustration question, and adds hazard prediction on top of the karimen material.

The illustration questions show a driving scene and ask you to judge the risks — the kind of anticipation a licensed driver needs. That is the main thing honmen tests that karimen does not.

Side by side: the two written tests

Same 90% pass bar, different scale.

Both are true/false at heart, both demand 90%, and both are drawn from the same Rules of the Road — so practising the 50-question true/false format builds the base for both.

Where does licence conversion (gaimen kirikae) fit?

If you are converting a valid foreign licence, you do not go through karimen then honmen. Instead you take a single knowledge test — 50 questions, 90% to pass — at the karimen scale, not the 95-question honmen test. Since 1 October 2025 this test was expanded from 10 questions to 50 and the pass mark raised to 90%.

So for a conversion applicant, 'which test do I study for?' has a clear answer: the 50-question, 90% format — the same one this site is built around. You may also face a driving test depending on your licence's issuing country and category.

FAQ

Is karimen or honmen harder?

Honmen is broader: 95 questions worth 100 points in 50 minutes, and it adds illustration-based hazard-prediction questions that karimen does not have. Both require 90% to pass, but honmen tests more advanced judgement.

How many questions is the honmen written test?

95 questions — 90 true/false worth 1 point each and 5 illustration questions worth 2 points each — for 100 points total. You need 90 points, within 50 minutes.

Do I take karimen and honmen if I am converting a foreign licence?

No. Foreign-licence conversion (gaimen kirikae) uses a single 50-question knowledge test at 90%, the karimen scale — not the two-stage karimen-then-honmen path that new learners follow.

Do both tests have the same pass mark?

Yes, both require 90%. Karimen is 45 of 50; honmen is 90 of 100 points. The difference is length, points, and the illustration questions on honmen.