Japanese Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Japanese & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! (Easy Japanese Stories)

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This is an eccentric and sensitive short novel by Kaori Ekuni about a gay man (with a boyfriend) and a manic-depressive, alcoholic woman. Heralding from the adult Asahi Shinbun comes “ Kodomo Asahi,” a version of their newspaper made for children. There aren’t a ton of articles here, but definitely plenty enough to keep any beginner busy on a fairly regular basis. There is a “elementary school” section and a “middle school” section. And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples. The other big online library I want to recommend is JGRPG (that's the Japanese Graded Reader Project Group) Sakura Tadoku Lab. While they don't have nearly as large a library as Web Tadoku Books, Sakura Tadoku Lab does come with a few key features. Although the sentence structure in “Night on the Galactic Railroad” is suitable for beginners, the book has some uncommon vocabulary like “expeditions,” “galaxy,” and “fossils”. The names of the characters are also foreign, so knowing katakana is a must. 3. “God of Bears”

Now that you can read and pronounce hiragana (remember, slowly is okay!) it's time to learn how to type it on your computer or smartphone. It seems like every-other fable includes an “old man” as a main character. 16. “Japanese Graded Readers” The hundreds of stories featured here have minimal kanji and lots of helpful audio accompaniments. Read the story first, then listen and read along! Children’s fables, fairytales and old folktales (昔話, むかしばなし) provide great insight into Japanese culture, as many social lessons are taught through these texts. Popular fables include Momotaro (桃太郎, ももたろ), Shitakiri Suzume (舌きり雀, したきりすずめ) and Tsuru no Ongaeshi (鶴の恩返し, つるのおんがえし).It's time to learn how and when to introduce vocabulary words from outside your kanji studies into your study routine. The most important thing is to have a good system in place. Finally, a collection of stories chosen and laid out specifically for the Japanese language learner. This well done collection, translated by Giles Murray, who’s famous for his Japanese translation work, is a fascinating and satisfyingly cohesive read. Before you’re certain that you’ve reached the dreaded burnout stage, I’ve got the answer for your Japanese reading woes.

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU. Just take a look at the wide variety of authentic video content available in the program. Here’s a small sample: V-Reader has a host of free texts by famous Japanese authors. In these texts, you can tap most of the vocabulary words on the screen to see (and hear!) the Japanese pronunciation and an English translation. Yes, it’s a little glitchy and has some trouble with given names and place names, but if you’re looking for an easy way to get your Japanese reading done, this app is your friend.

Transition from Studying to Reading: Why, When and How

Mixi– a Japanese social network. You can read news articles and some public threads without signing up. There are communities on different topics similar to Reddit. It’s not as popular as it used to be but there is still plenty of content for free Japanese reading practise. Magazines, lifestyle and more Nevertheless, the little fox gets his warm woolen mittens and all is well. This happy ending feels very Japanese—joyous but tinged with nostalgia. 6. “Koizumi Yakumo Complete Works” by Koizumi Yakumo Lessons include the Japanese script (with furigana) to read along to as you play the accompanying audio file (available at 4 different speeds, so you can work your way up from slow to natural), an English translation, and a vocabulary list. This app is great if you already have a decent handle on reading easy Japanese, and perfect to challenge yourself by reading stories in their original format with no translations or guidance.

Once you install the app, you will be required to log in again (last time, I promise!), then you will see an entire directory of Japanese picture books! This collection is good for Japanese learners who want to read a contemporary female point of view. Since Yoshimoto was born in the 1960s, she’s witnessed the formation of modern Japan in her lifetime. 11. “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” by Haruki Murakami Bonus: Tsutsui’s also the mind behind “Paprika”…which was made into an anime movie that is…well…just take a look for yourself. The language in here is pretty simple, although a few words might not be heard in everyday conversation. The tone throughout, however, should make for a cozy, non-threatening read. 4. “Heaven’s Bookstore”Like hiragana, we have a way for you to learn kanji that's way more effective than the traditional methodology (rote memorization). Thanks to that, it won't be as difficult as everyone says. It may even *gasp* be a pleasure to learn! Maybe. In this guide you will learn how to narrow down kanji meanings and readings to the most important ones. You will learn how to use radicals and mnemonics and how to create an effective routine. However—the book tells the story of Makoto’s aunt who experienced a mysteriously similar phenomenon when she was in high school. Part Sci-Fi (or “SF,” as Japanese speakers say), part love story, part slice-of-life…you’ll just love this. What’s really great about these books is that there’s furigana to accompany kanji (with explanations of difficult and unfamiliar words), and quizzes at the end of each story to test your knowledge and understanding of the context. 9. “Kowai!”