Japanese graded readers
Short Japanese stories retold at your reading level — our own Yak Yacker retellings, not a bookstore.
Read a little Japanese every day
Reading is where kanji stops being homework and starts being a superpower, but jumping into native texts too early just hurts.
Our graded readers are Yak Yacker retellings written for learners, sorted into A1 to B1 reading bands — the only place we use those bands, since our placement is JLPT-styled.
Early levels keep sentences short and scripts friendly, while higher bands trust you with more kanji and longer passages.
A few minutes of reading a day compounds fast, like everything else here.
A1 to B1 readers, big reading gains.
A1 stories
Golden Boy in Japanese: A1 Beginner Story with Audio, Tap-to-Translate Help & Free Lesson Notes
The One-Inch Boy in Japanese: A Free A1 Beginner Story with Audio
Peach Boy: A1 Beginner Japanese Story with Audio
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A1 Beginner Japanese Story with Audio
The Crab and the Monkey: A Japanese Folk Tale for Beginners (A1) with Audio
Urashima Tarō: A Simple Japanese Folk Tale with Audio for Beginners
The Old Man Who Made Withered Trees Blossom: A1 Beginner Japanese Story with Audio
The Magic Tea Kettle: Easy Japanese Story with Audio (CEFR A1 / Beginner)
A2 stories
The Spider’s Thread: A2 Elementary Japanese Story with Audio
Learn Japanese with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
The Grateful Crane: A2 Elementary Japanese Story with Audio
The Mirror of Matsuyama: A2 Elementary Japanese Story with Audio
Amaterasu and the Cave: Japanese Graded Reader (A2 Elementary) – Story with Audio
Yamata no Orochi: A2 Elementary Japanese Story with Audio
The White Hare of Inaba in Japanese: Free A2 Story with Audio
The Snow Woman: A Chilling Japanese Folktale for Elementary Learners (A2 Audio Story)
B1 stories
I Am a Cat: A B1 Japanese Graded Reader with Audio Story
Hoichi the Earless in Japanese: A Spooky Ghost Story Reader with Audio (B1)
Rashōmon: A B1 Japanese Ghost Story with Audio and Interactive Word Help
Read Botchan in Japanese: A Free B1 Intermediate Story with Native Audio
In a Grove: B1 Intermediate Japanese Story with Audio
Read Sanshō the Bailiff: A B1 Intermediate Japanese Folk Tale Graded Reader with Story Audio
The Nose: A Japanese Folk Tale for Intermediate Learners (B1) – Audio Included
A Page of Madness in Japanese: Read the Silent-Film Era Ghost Story with Audio (B1)
Around the stories
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Open Yak Cards
168 Japanese lessons. Jump in, or pick any one.
Audio, quizzes, speaking practice. Free. Start at lesson 1 of 168.