Japanese Graded Readers

Japanese Graded Readers is the perfect app for Japanese language learners who want to practice their reading. You can also improve your Japanese vocabulary and grammar by reading our illustrated stories. Our graded readers are from various genres such as tales, horror stories or texts about Japanese culture.

WHAT ARE GRADED READERS? Graded readers are books specially written for language learners. They use a limited set of grammar and vocabulary. These simple stories allow learners to enjoy reading without struggling. Studies show learners who use graded readers improve not only their reading skills and many other language abilities.

ADVANTAGES OF READING JAPANESE WITH GRADED READERS: • Read Japanese without a dictionary: Deliberate repetition of new vocabulary enables readers to infer meaning from context. Graded readers increase skills and confidence because they can be read and enjoyed without a struggle. • Contextual illustrations aid comprehension: We created artworks that will help you understand new vocabulary and difficult concepts. Thanks to them, you will never have to reach for a Japanese dictionary while reading. • Narrated by professional Japanese voice talent: Native-Japanese voice talents tell the stories with the proper pronunciation. These audio narratives are recorded by professionals who allow the reader to immerse themselves in our stories. • Kana reading provided for all kanji characters: Each kanji is transcribed in furigana. Furigana lets the reader know how to pronounce Japanese characters. You’ll only have to be proficient in hiragana to being able to our read graded readers. • Simplified grammar, vocabulary, and plot: Each story is written for a specific audience. We select grammar difficulty and vocabulary based on the Japanese language proficiency of our readers. Our graded readers are categorized into five levels of difficulty. You will be able to enjoy our stories regardless of your Japanese skills.

JAPANESE GRADED READERS LEVELS: • Level 0: Beginner level using very basic Japanese. Each graded reader includes less than 400 words. These stories are suitable for students starting to learn Japanese and trying to pass JLPT N5. • Level 1: Stories with a length between 400 and 1500 words. They are perfect for both JLPT N5 and N4 students. • Level 2: Elementary level using basic Japanese vocabulary. The length of these Japanese texts is between 1500 and 2500 words. These stories are tailored for learners trying to pass JLPT N4. • Level 3: Intermediate level stories using everyday Japanese. Level 3 graded readers are made for learners between JLPT N3 and N4. They include 2500 to 5000 words per story. • Level 4: Upper-intermediate level texts using standard Japanese vocabulary. This level has the longest stories with 5000 to 10000 words per text. Those graded readers are perfect for people at JLPT N3 or N2.

WHAT USERS SAY ABOUT JAPANESE GRADED READERS: “I found I could understand all of the stories perfectly despite not knowing all of the words. An excellent chance to test my own knowledge of the Japanese language.” Alannah

“These stories are great to enlarge your vocabulary e.g. for JLPT N4 preparation. Thanks to furigana, they are easy to read and the length of each story is well adapted.” Anna

“These stories are easy to read, interesting and will help boost your comprehension of written Japanese. Some are fairy tales, others give you snippets of Japanese culture.” James