N5–N3 · 30 lessons · Lessons 1–3 free

Graded reading: from N5 to N3

Thirty original texts, ten each at N5, N4 and N3: emails, diaries, notices, recipes, stories, interviews and essays, read aloud, with notes and questions.

Lessons

N5Lessons 1–10

  1. First email to a host family: introducing yourself九月くがつから 一年いちねん、お世話せわに なります。A Chinese student’s first email to her host family in Japan: read her name, school, family, hobbies and arrival time, and how such an email is written.Free
  2. My day: a bakery worker from morning to night顔かおを 洗あらって、シャワーを 浴あびて、店みせへ 行いきます。Ana, a Brazilian who works at a bakery in Osaka, describes her day. Read what she does at what time, and see how the te form links several actions in order.Free
  3. Weekend diary: the park and the supermarket公園こうえんは 広ひろくて、とても 静しずかでした。Junho, a Korean student, writes his weekend diary: the park with a friend, the supermarket, curry for dinner. Read what he did and how it was, with past forms.Free
  4. Around the station: finding a café from directions本屋ほんやの 二階にかいに 喫茶店きっさてんが あります。A friend tells Sofia how to walk from the station’s north exit to a café. Follow the route and where each shop is; practise 「あります」 and 「います」.Paid
  5. A birthday party invitation: date, place, what to bringわたしの アパートで 誕生日たんじょうびパーティーを しませんか。Aya Ishii invites her club friends to her birthday party. Read the date, time, place, what to bring and when to reply, with 「〜ませんか」 and 「〜ましょう」.Paid
  6. My favourite food: udon, ramen and my mother’s phoラーメンより うどんの ほうが 好すきです。Vietnamese student Nguyen Minh talks about food: what he likes, what he doesn’t and why, with 「好すき」, 「〜より〜の ほうが」, 「いちばん」 and 「から」.Paid
  7. A library notice: opening hours, borrowing and rules図書館としょかんの 中なかで 食たべたり 飲のんだり しては いけません。A city library’s guide: hours, closing day, loans, and what is and isn’t allowed, with 「〜て ください」, 「〜ては いけません」 and 「〜ても いいです」.Paid
  8. A family photo: who is doing what, and their jobs父ちちは 病院びょういんで 働はたらいて います。Emily, a Canadian teacher in Nagoya, shows a family photo. Read who each person is, their job, where they live and what they are doing, with 「〜て います」.Paid
  9. A rainy day: a short story about two umbrellas学校がっこうを 出でる とき、急きゅうに 雨あめが 降ふって きました。A pupil, Yuta, is caught in sudden rain with no umbrella. Read what happens, what he wants and what he does next day, with 「〜とき」 and 「〜たい」.Paid
  10. A postcard from a trip: from Hokkaido to a teacher毎日まいにち スキーを したり、温泉おんせんに 入はいったり して います。Lucas, from Germany, sends his teacher a postcard from Hokkaido: where he is, what he does, what is new, with 「〜た ことが あります」 and 「〜たり〜たり」.Paid

N4Lessons 11–20

  1. A moving notice: the Japanese class is moving四月しがつから、新あたらしい場所ばしょで授業じゅぎょうをすることになりました。A community Japanese class is moving. Read its notice: why, where, when lessons stop and what stays the same, with 「〜ことになりました」.Paid
  2. A job interview: a short story「じゃあ、一杯いっぱい作つくってみてください。」Joshua, a student from the Philippines, has a job interview at a café. Read what he is asked and how it ends, with the potential form and 「〜てみる」.Paid
  3. A recipe: oyakodon for two肉にくに火ひが通とおってから、卵たまごを入いれます。Oyakodon from a student’s blog: ingredients and the order of steps, with 「まず」「次つぎに」「それから」「最後さいごに」「〜てから」「〜たら」.Paid
  4. Train manners: what one student noticed電車でんしゃの中なかでは、電話でんわで話はなさないほうがいいです。Ryan, a student from the US, writes about manners on Japanese trains. Read his advice, with 「〜ないほうがいい」 and the two kinds of 「〜そうだ」.Paid
  5. Rubbish rules: a ward office noticeごみは、朝あさ八時はちじまでに出ださなければなりません。Rubbish rules for new residents of a fictional ward: what goes out when, with 「〜なければならない」, 「〜てはいけない」 and days of the week.Paid
  6. A thank-you letter to a friend: in hospital毎日まいにち授業じゅぎょうのノートを持もってきてくれて、本当ほんとうにありがとう。Liu Yang thanks his classmate Yoshida for his help during a stay in hospital. Who did what for whom? With 「〜てくれる」, 「〜てもらう」, 「〜てあげる」.Paid
  7. Left behind: a bag on the train大切たいせつな書類しょるいが入はいったかばんを、電車でんしゃに忘わすれてしまった。Office worker Nakayama has a bad morning and leaves a bag of important papers on the train. Read how he gets it back, with 「〜てしまう」 and the passive.Paid
  8. A health check notice: what to do beforehand九時くじより後あとは、何なにも食たべないでください。A clinic’s instructions for a health check: when to come, what not to eat, what to bring. With 「〜ないでください」, 「〜前まえに」 and clinic keigo.Paid
  9. Hanami: keeping a spot under the cherry trees風かぜが吹ふくと、花はなびらが雪ゆきのように降ふってくる。Maria keeps a spot in the park for her company’s hanami. See what 「〜ようだ」, 「〜らしい」 and 「〜そうだ」 are each based on.Paid
  10. A summer festival: volunteers wanted忙いそがしい方かたも参加さんかできるように、仕事しごとを二時間にじかんぐらいずつに分わけました。A neighbourhood association asks for summer festival volunteers: the jobs, times, what to watch out for and how to apply. With 「〜ために」 and 「〜ように」.Paid

N3Lessons 21–30

  1. A day at a convenience store: an interview時間帯じかんたいによって、お客きゃくさんも売うれる物ものもまったく違ちがいます。A convenience store manager talks about his job, his customers and how weather affects orders. An interview with 「〜ているうちに」 and 「〜によって」.Paid
  2. More and more empty houses: an explanatory text時間じかんがたつにつれて、家いえはどんどん傷いたんでいく。Why empty houses are increasing in Japan, what problems they bring, and new ideas. 「である」 style, 「〜一方いっぽうだ」, 「〜につれて」 and 「一方いっぽうで」.Paid
  3. A folk tale retold: the box Urashima Taro never opened乙姫おとひめとの約束やくそくを破やぶるわけにはいかない。Urashima Taro saves a turtle and returns from the sea palace to find 300 years gone, but here he never opens the box. 「〜たとたん」, 「〜わけにはいかない」.Paid
  4. Phones and time: an argumentative essay使つかう時間じかんが長ながいからといって、むだだとは限かぎらない。Should we use our phones less? The writer admits phones eat time, argues back, then gives a view. Read an argument, with 「〜べきだ」 and 「〜とは限かぎらない」.Paid
  5. A story of dialects: the Japanese I learnt in Osaka毎日まいにち聞きいているうちに、わたしの日本語にほんごもすっかり大阪おおさかっぽくなった。An essay: the writer learnt Kansai dialect in Osaka, then hid it at a Tokyo job. Follow the feelings, and tell 「〜っぽい」 from the uses of 「〜らしい」.Paid
  6. A library’s new service: a news report on home delivery足あしの弱よわいお年寄としよりにとって、図書館としょかんまでの坂道さかみちは思おもったより大変たいへんです。Local news: a fictional city library starts delivering books to people who can’t easily come. A news report, with 「〜について」, 「〜にとって」, 「〜として」.Paid
  7. A day in the life of a station worker: an interviewお客きゃくさまに話はなしかけられたら、手てを止とめて、相手あいての目めを見みて聞きくようにしています。A community magazine talks to a station worker of twelve years: daily work, habits, a snowy night. Read the Q&A, with 「〜ようにしている」 and 「〜最中さいちゅうに」.Paid
  8. A scene from a short story: the stopped watch針はりは三時さんじ十分じゅっぷんを指さしたまま、一度いちども動うごいていない。From an original short story: Mio takes her late grandfather’s watch to be mended, and the old watchmaker finds words inside. With 「〜まま」 and 「〜ずに」.Paid
  9. An opinion piece: the pros and cons of working from home家いえで働はたらけるからといって、どこでも同おなじように働はたらけるわけではない。An office worker writes about the good side of working from home, its problems, and a proposal. Read an opinion piece, with 「〜反面はんめん」 and 「〜からといって」.Paid
  10. Reading emails and notices: written style and key pointsシフトが決きまり次第しだい、店内てんないに貼はり出だします。Review: a manager’s email, a water cut notice, a typhoon rule. Find what to do, by when, and what if not; read 「〜次第しだい」, 「〜ため」, 「〜により」.Paid