Read Japanese Stories — Free, Graded by JLPT Level
From absolute beginner (Pre-N5) to advanced (N2). Hand-picked stories with translations in 9 languages. No login, no paywall.
N4 10 pages To Mount Fuji - 富士山への旅
A man achieves his dream by climbing Mount Fuji.
N2 15 pages Lost & Found Philosophy - 忘れ物係の哲学
A lost-and-found clerk's philosophy is tested by a twenty-year search.
N2 20 pages The Knight Quest - 騎士クエスト
A knight quests for a pendant, facing beasts and a dragon.
N3 11 pages A Step Toward the Dream - 夢への一歩
Saya works at an old Kyoto restaurant.
N3 12 pages The Correct Way to Fold - 正しいたたみ方
Aoi had just started a part-time job at a long-established ryokan.
N3 10 pages The Vampire Secret - ヴァンパイアの秘密
A lonely vampire makes charmingly awkward attempts to befriend humans.
N3 15 pages Hachiko the Loyal Dog - 忠犬ハチ公
Hachiko, the loyal Akita, faithfully waited at Shibuya Station.
N3 15 pages Haruka Trip to Osaka - ハルカ大阪旅行
Haruka takes a day trip from Kyoto to explore vibrant Osaka.
N3 15 pages Pro Baseball Player - プロ野球選手
Alex overcomes barriers to pursue his baseball dream in Japan.
N4 7 pages Surprise - サプライズ
After hearing her roommate cry through the wall about a forgotten birthday, Towa decides she has to do something before morning.
N4 10 pages Vending Machine Nation - 自動販売機の国
An American explores Japan's ubiquitous vending machines and their cultural insights.
N4 6 pages Pan the Panda - パンダのパン
Pan the Panda trains in martial arts along the Great Wall of China.
N4 7 pages Mysterious Forest - 神秘の森
Ken finds a hidden forest temple and a treasure with a difficult choice.
N4 9 pages The Sumo Match - 相撲の試合
A sumo wrestler's intense preparation and struggle for victory.
N4 10 pages Day at the Market - 市場での一日
Makoto finds joy and community at the bustling local market.
N4 10 pages Emma Going to Shibuya - エマ、渋谷へ行く
Emma arrives in Japan, navigating her way to Shibuya.
N5 5 pages The Lost Pendant - 失くしたペンダント
Yumi must break a time loop to recover a lost pendant.
N5 5 pages Let's go Onsen - 温泉に行く
A couple's hot spring retreat teaches them serene onsen etiquette.
N5 6 pages Growing Sunflower - 育つひまわり
Keiko plants sunflowers, learning the joy of patience and growth.
N5 5 pages The Bicycle and the Alien - 自転車と宇宙人
Ken's missing bicycle leads to an otherworldly UFO mystery.
N5 5 pages Booking a Restaurant - レストランの予約
John plans a special yakiniku dinner to celebrate a graduation.
N5 5 pages Takumi Day - たくみの日
Takumi's day explores daily routines, school challenges, and perseverance.
N5 5 pages Haru Pets - ハルのペット
Haru introduces her cozy home filled with unique animal friends.
N5 5 pages Weather - 天気
Sakura chooses her outfit each day for a week of changing weather.
N5 5 pages The New Student - 新しい生徒
A nervous new student bravely introduces herself on her first day.
Pre-N5 5 pages Two Friends' Lunch - ふたりのひるごはん
Rio and Mao sit down at a small restaurant, hoping to share a meal together. As they look over the menu, they notice a favorite dish is missing, but they find a new one to try. When the doria arrives, they take a bite and discover it is delicious.
Pre-N5 5 pages Bird's Adventure - 鳥の冒険
A curious bird finds and brings home a glittering treasure.
Pre-N5 5 pages Red Umbrella's Journey - 赤い傘の旅
A magical red umbrella finds purpose and joy on a skyward journey.
Pre-N5 6 pages Sunny Spots - 日なたの場所
Mike the cat seeks the warmest sunspots for a perfect day.
Pre-N5 5 pages First Matsuri - 初めての日本祭り
Mike tries a yukata and street food at his first matsuri.
Pre-N5 5 pages Let's Go to the Zoo - 動物園へ行こう
Yuta's fun, educational Saturday adventure at the zoo.
Pre-N5 5 pages Workplaces - ワークプレイス
Explore different workplaces and the people who help the community.
Pre-N5 6 pages How to go - どうやって行く
Ken explores the world by car, bike, bus, and more.
Pre-N5 5 pages The Snail Day - カタツムリの日
A snail enjoys a rainy garden adventure and its simple joys.
Pre-N5 5 pages Ken Takes the Transportation - ケンは 乗り物に 乗ります
Ken journeys across town via bus, train, and taxi.
Pre-N5 5 pages Ken Goes to Bed - ケンはベッドへ
Ken's calming evening routine leads to a peaceful good night.
Pre-N5 5 pages Makoto Goes to School - マコトは学校へ行く
Makoto's morning routine leads him to school and his waiting classroom.
N2 17 pages A Stray Day: One Cat's Record - 迷い猫、一日の記録
A tabby cat slips out of a Koenji apartment at dawn and explores the quiet city streets alone.
N2 18 pages The Postal Vessel Above the Clouds - 雲上の郵便船
When a sudden thermal wall blocks her route, young courier Rio must rethink her entire delivery path before sunset grounds all vessels.
No stories match these filters.
Free Japanese reading practice, calibrated to your level
Learning Japanese is a vocabulary and kanji race, and the fastest way to win it is to read. The problem: most native Japanese text is wildly out of reach for the first two years of study. That's why graded readers exist — stories written to a specific level of difficulty, so that 90% of what you see is already in your toolkit, and only the last 10% pushes you forward.
This page is Shinobi's hand-picked library of graded Japanese stories, free to read with no account required. Every story is tagged with its JLPT level, illustrated, and comes with full translations in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Indonesian, and Filipino. If you want to read in Japanese the way real Japanese learners do — gradually, with comprehensible input, building from short paragraphs up to short stories — this is the place to start.
Pick your JLPT level
The JLPT defines five levels of Japanese reading ability, from N5 (beginner) to N1 (near-native). Our stories cover Pre-N5 through N2 — the range where graded reading makes the biggest difference.
Browse by topic
Vocabulary sticks when it has somewhere to live. If you already love Japanese food, travel, or folklore, start there — the words you pick up on the page are the words you'll keep using.
How to read graded Japanese stories effectively
- Match the level honestly. If you have to look up more than 1 word every 2 sentences, drop down a level. Comprehension > ambition.
- Read the Japanese first, translation second. Force yourself through the page in Japanese, then reveal the translation to check. This is the gap that builds reading fluency.
- Re-read. Reading the same story twice doubles retention. Read it once for the plot, once for the language.
- Read short, read often. Ten minutes a day beats one hour on Sunday. The brain consolidates vocabulary in sleep, not in marathons.
- Don't stop at unknown kanji or vocab. Use the translation as a safety net and keep moving. Words you meet once become words you recognize next time.
Frequently asked questions
Are these Japanese stories really free?
Yes. Every story on this page is 100% free to read. No account, no paywall, no download. Pick a JLPT level, open a story, and start reading.
What JLPT levels are covered?
We cover Pre-N5 (absolute beginner, no kanji), N5 (beginner), N4 (lower-intermediate), N3 (intermediate), and N2 (upper-intermediate). Each story is tagged with its level so you can match the difficulty to your current ability.
Do the stories include translations?
Yes. Each page comes with a full English translation, plus translations in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Indonesian, and Filipino. You can read the Japanese first and reveal the translation when you need it.
What changes between the levels?
Three things scale up: (1) story length — Pre-N5 is 100–250 characters, N2 is up to 1,500; (2) grammar — Pre-N5 uses only basic patterns, N2 uses the full upper-intermediate range; (3) narrative complexity — Pre-N5 is survival sentences, N2 is implied meaning and nuance. Kanji density stays the same across all levels — only vocabulary and grammar change.
How is this different from Tadoku or NHK Easy News?
Tadoku publishes graded reader PDFs, mostly without translations. NHK Easy News is simplified news, not stories. Shinobi gives you hand-picked, illustrated short stories with full multilingual translations, graded by JLPT level, on a mobile-first page.
Are these stories good for the JLPT exam?
Reading practice is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for the JLPT. The reading section weights heavily, and the only way to build speed is volume. These stories are calibrated to JLPT vocabulary and grammar lists, which means every page reinforces exam-relevant material.
How long does each story take to read?
Most stories are between 5 and 15 minutes at your level. Pre-N5 and N5 stories are short (5 minutes); N3 and N2 stories can take 10–15 minutes.
350+ stories, native audio, tap-to-translate — in the app
The free web library is a curated slice. The Shinobi app has 350+ unique graded stories, native audio for every page, tap-to-translate on every word, JMDict dictionary lookups, and SRS review.