Create a free account to learn as you read
Create a free account to learn as you read
Beginner Japanese Books
Learn more about our beginner collection
Looking for your first book in Japanese? These are the easiest texts in our Japanese library: short children's stories (童話), mostly by Ogawa Mimei, a few pages each. They are not graded readers: their vocabulary reads at about JLPT N3–N2, the level whose words cover nearly all that the JLPT lists cover in them. With N3 vocabulary you already know about nineteen words in twenty, and a click translates the rest.
Extensive reading is one of the best methods to master Japanese. By reading stories adapted to your level, you naturally reinforce your kanji recognition and understanding of Japanese grammar.
What makes a book beginner-friendly
- ●Short: most fit in a few pages
- ●Fewer rare words than any other books in our Japanese collection
- ●About nineteen words in twenty known with N3 vocabulary, N3–N2 vocabulary overall
- ●Mostly children's stories (童話) by Ogawa Mimei
Our collection currently includes 43 beginner-level books from the Aozora Bunko (青空文庫) library. The level comes from measuring each text: how many of the most common Japanese words you need to understand 95% of it, and how long its sentences are.
Every book can be read directly in our reader with instant translation. Select any word or sentence to see its translation, and save new words to your flashcards for later review.
Easy reading practice: click any word to translate. Create flashcards. Learn Japanese naturally.
Not sure where to start?
A short children's story by Ogawa Mimei, among the easiest texts in our Japanese library: a good first Japanese book.
うた時計
The Singing Clock
新美南吉
おばあさんとツェッペリン
Grandmother and the Zeppelin
小川未明
すいれんは咲いたが
The Water Lily Has Bloomed
小川未明
その日から正直になった話
The Story of Becoming Honest from That Day
小川未明
だれにも話さなかったこと
What I Never Told Anyone
小川未明
ちょうせんぶなと美しい小箱
The Beautiful Box and the Challenge
小川未明
ちょうと三つの石
Chō to Mitsu no Ishi
小川未明
びんの中の世界
The World in a Bottle
小川未明
ボールの行方
The Fate of the Ball
小川未明
ゆずの話
The Story of Yuzu
小川未明
三匹のあり
Three Ants
小川未明
世の中へ出る子供たち
Children Going Out into the World
小川未明
二少年の話
The Tale of Two Boys
小川未明
人の身の上
The Human Condition
小川未明
僕がかわいがるから
Because I Care
小川未明
僕たちは愛するけれど
Though We Love
小川未明
北の少女
The Girl from the North
小川未明
北風にたこは上がる
The Kites Rise in the North Wind
小川未明
千代紙の春
The Spring of Chiyogami
小川未明
小さなねじ
The Little Screw
小川未明
小さな妹をつれて
Taking My Little Sister
小川未明
小ねこはなにを知ったか
What the Little Cat Knew
小川未明
小鳥と兄妹
The Little Bird and the Siblings
小川未明
少年と秋の日
The Boy and the Autumn Day
小川未明
岡の家
The House on the Hill
鈴木三重吉
幾年もたった後
Years Later
小川未明
政ちゃんと赤いりんご
Masachan and the Red Apple
小川未明
時計と窓の話
The Story of the Clock and the Window
小川未明
時計のない村
The Village Without a Clock
小川未明
木に上った子供
The Child Who Climbed a Tree
小川未明
村の兄弟
Brothers of the Village
小川未明
正二くんの時計
Shōji-kun's Clock
小川未明
気まぐれの人形師
The Whimsical Puppeteer
小川未明
洪水大陸を呑む
The Flood Swallows the Continent
海野十三
海が呼んだ話
The Story Called by the Sea
小川未明
白い門のある家
The House with the White Gate
小川未明
笑わなかった少年
The Boy Who Did Not Laugh
小川未明
赤い実
The Red Fruit
小川未明
赤い魚と子供
The Red Fish and the Children
小川未明
金色のボタン
The Golden Button
小川未明
銀のつえ
The Silver Cane
小川未明
青い石とメダル
The Blue Stone and the Medal
小川未明
魚と白鳥
The Fish and the Swan
小川未明
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