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Free Japanese stories · A1–A2

Japanese Short Stories for Beginners

Read easy Japanese stories with the English translation under every line. Press play to hear a native speaker, and tap any word to see what it means, just like in the Linguin app.

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The Linguin app showing The Tale of Princess Kaguya in Japanese with furigana, with a tapped word translated

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Easy Japanese stories to read and listen to

Start with the first one and work your way down: they get a little harder as you go. Press play to hear a native speaker, tap any word to see what it means, or switch the translations off to test yourself.

  1. 1. The Grateful CraneA1 · Folklore · 1 min
  2. 2. Sushi RestaurantA1 · Mini story · 1 min
  3. 3. Bullet Train to KyotoA2 · Mini story · 1 min

The Grateful Crane

A1Folklore · 54 words · 1 min audio

、。

One day, an old man saw a crane on the mountain.

。

The crane had injured its leg.

おじいさん:。。

You poor thing. Let me help you.

。

The old man took the crane home.

。

He gave it medicine every day.

、。

The crane recovered and flew off into the sky.

、。

The next day, a beautiful woman came by.

おんなの ひと:。。

I am the crane. Thank you for saving me.

おじいさん:??

A crane? Are you telling the truth?

おんなの ひと:。。。

Yes. I came to thank you. Please accept this fabric.

。

It was a very beautiful cloth.

。

The old man became happy.

00:00 / 00:53

Sushi Restaurant

A1Mini story, Food · 53 words · 1 min audio

、。

Today, Mr. Tanaka's family went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

。

There is a father, a mother, and a small child.

たなかさん:!

Let's eat salmon, egg, and tuna!

。

Everyone took plates.

ゆうき:!

Delicious!

、。

Yuki-kun ate sushi and said it again.

ゆうき:!

Delicious!

おかあさん:、。

Yuki-kun, you ate a lot, didn't you?

。

Everyone finished eating.

。

Mother counted the plates.

おかあさん:、。

Well then, it is 300 yen.

ゆうき:!

I will pay money too!

。

Everyone said to the sushi chef.

たなかさん:!

Thank you for the meal!

おかあさん:!

Thank you for the meal!

ゆうき:!

Thank you for the meal!

00:00 / 00:53

Bullet Train to Kyoto

A2Mini story, Public · 69 words · 1 min audio

、。

Yamada's family is at Tokyo Station.

。

I am going to Kyoto.

やまだたろう:。。

Let's buy tickets. Where are the Shinkansen tickets?

やまだはなこ:。。

They are over there. It is the green ticket office.

。

The family bought the tickets.

。

We boarded the Shinkansen.

やまだゆうた:。

Where are our seats?

やまだたろう:。。

They are in car number 8, seat number 12. It is here.

。

The Shinkansen has departed.

。

A train crew member came.

じょうむいん:。

Would you like some tea?

やまだはなこ:、。

Yes, please.

やまだゆうた:!。。

Ah! Please look. Is that Mt. Fuji?

やまだたろう:。。

That's right. It is beautiful, isn't it?

、。

Two hours later, we arrived at Kyoto Station.

やまだはなこ:!。

Amazing! We have arrived in Kyoto.

やまだゆうた:!

I want to go to Kinkaku-ji!

やまだたろう:。、。

That sounds good. But first, let's go to the hotel.

00:00 / 01:05

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The Linguin app has hundreds of Japanese stories, easy news and podcasts at your level. Every one has native audio, the translation under each line and tap-to-translate, just like the stories above.

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How to learn Japanese with short stories

  1. 1

    Read for the gist first

    Don't stop at every unknown word. Finish the story, then read it again and tap only the words that stop you.

  2. 2

    Listen while you read

    Press play and follow the highlighted words. It links spelling to sound, and it doubles as listening practice.

  3. 3

    Hide the translations

    Switch them off at the top of a story, guess what each line means, then check it with the translate button.

  4. 4

    Re-read, then level up

    The second and third read is where words stick. When a story feels easy, move up a level: you should understand about 90% without help.

Want more practice? Try our Japanese reading practice, Japanese listening practice or Japanese comprehensible input page.

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