N5 reading practice: a short text about a shop
私の 家の 近くに 小さい パン屋が あります。毎朝 ７時に 開きます。私は 土曜日の 朝、そこで パンと コーヒーを 買います。店の 人は とても しんせつです。パンは 安くて おいしいですから、いつも 人が たくさん います。
この 人は いつ パン屋へ 行きますか。
パン屋に どうして 人が たくさん いますか。
English translation
There is a small bakery near my house. It opens at seven every morning. On Saturday mornings I buy bread and coffee there. The people at the shop are very kind. The bread is cheap and tasty, so there are always a lot of people.
JLPT N5 reading practice has three more passages in the test format, with a timer.
N4 reading practice: a short text about a day out
先週の 日曜日、友だちと 山に 登りました。朝は 晴れて いましたが、昼ごろから 急に 雨が 降って きました。かさを 持って いなかったので、山の 上の 店で 雨が やむのを 待つ ことに しました。店で 飲んだ 温かい お茶は、とても おいしかったです。次は 天気予報を よく 見てから 出かけようと 思います。
二人は どうして 店で 待ちましたか。
この 人は 次に 出かける とき、どう しますか。
English translation
Last Sunday I climbed a mountain with a friend. It was sunny in the morning, but around noon it suddenly started to rain. We had no umbrellas, so we decided to wait at the shop at the top until the rain stopped. The hot tea we drank there was very good. Next time I will check the weather forecast carefully before going out.
JLPT N4 reading practice has three longer passages in the test format, with a timer.
N3 reading practice: a short essay
私の 町では、毎月 第二土曜日に 駅前の 広場で 朝市が 開かれる。近くの 農家が 朝 とった ばかりの 野菜を 持って きて、スーパーより 安く 売って いる。最初は 安さが 目的で 通って いたが、今は 作った 人と 話せるのが 楽しみに なった。おすすめの 食べ方を 聞くと、みんな うれしそうに 教えて くれる。野菜を 買うと いうより、人に 会いに 行って いるのかも しれない。
この 文章を 書いた 人は、最初、どうして 朝市に 行って いましたか。
今、この 人が 朝市に 行く 一番の 理由は 何ですか。
English translation
In my town, a morning market is held in the square in front of the station on the second Saturday of every month. Nearby farmers bring vegetables picked that morning and sell them for less than the supermarket. At first I went for the low prices, but now what I look forward to is talking with the people who grew them. When I ask how they recommend eating something, they all tell me gladly. Perhaps I go to meet people more than to buy vegetables.
JLPT N3 reading practice has three more passages with questions, plus the apps and methods for this level.
N2 reading practice: a short opinion piece
在宅勤務が広がり、通勤時間がなくなったことを喜ぶ声は多い。しかし、通勤には仕事と私生活を切り替える役割もあったのではないだろうか。電車に揺られながら一日の予定を考え、帰りには仕事のことを少しずつ頭から追い出す。その時間がなくなった結果、夜になっても仕事のことが気になって休めないという人が増えているという。自宅で働く人の中には、始業前に近所を一周歩くことで、失われた「通勤」を自分で作り出している人もいるそうだ。
筆者は、通勤にはどんな役割があったと考えているか。
始業前に近所を歩く人がいるのはなぜか。
English translation
Working from home has spread, and many people are glad to have lost their commute. But did the commute not also serve to switch between work and private life? Swaying on the train, you thought through the day’s plans, and on the way home you pushed work out of your head little by little. It is said that, with that time gone, more people cannot rest at night because work stays on their minds. Some people who work at home reportedly walk once around the neighborhood before starting, making the lost commute for themselves.
The N2 practice test has two more passages. For daily reading at this level, paste any article into the Japanese text analyzer to get readings and meanings.
What to read next at each level
| Level | On this site | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| N5 | N5 reading practice (three passages with a timer); the reading part of the N5 practice test | Free graded readers from Tadoku Supporters, from level 0 |
| N4 | N4 reading practice; easy Japanese news sources compared | Tadoku graded readers, levels 1 and 2; NHK News Web Easy with a dictionary (how to read it) |
| N3 | N3 reading practice (three passages, apps and methods); short Aozora Bunko classics with furigana | The higher Tadoku levels; easy news every day |
| N2 | The Japanese text analyzer for readings and meanings in any text you paste; the reading part of the N2 practice test | Regular news articles, essays and short stories written for Japanese readers |
If you want an app for this, Japanese reading apps for beginners compared lists what each one is good for.
Japanese graded readers
A graded reader is a short book written with a limited set of words and grammar, so that a learner at that level can read it without stopping. They are the usual bridge between textbook sentences and real text. Tadoku Supporters publishes free graded readers at levels 0 to 4, which can be read online or printed as PDFs. The passages on this page work the same way on a smaller scale: each stays inside the words and grammar of its level.
How to practice reading
- Read the question first. Knowing what you are looking for turns reading into a search, which is how the JLPT reading section is meant to be done.
- Read once without stopping. Mark words you do not know and keep going. Most of the time the question can be answered without them.
- Look up only what blocked you. Save those words and review them the next day.
- Read it again with furigana off. The second read is where the kanji start to stick.
- Read aloud once. If a sentence cannot be read aloud smoothly, its grammar is not clear yet.
Frequently asked questions
What should a beginner read in Japanese?
Texts written for learners, with furigana on every kanji and a few short sentences per page. Start with the N5 passage at the top of this page, then graded readers at the lowest level and the passages in the JLPT N5 reading practice. News sites for learners come later: most of their stories use words beyond N5.
What are Japanese graded readers?
Short books written with a limited set of words and grammar for each level, so that you can read without a dictionary. Tadoku Supporters publishes free graded readers from level 0 to level 4 that can be read online or printed. The levels are Tadoku’s own and do not match JLPT levels exactly: start at level 0 and move up when a book feels easy.
Should I read with furigana on or off?
Read with furigana first so that kanji do not stop you, then read the same text again with it off. This page has a switch for that above each passage. Our guide to what furigana is explains when to stop relying on it.
How do I know which level to read at?
Answer the two questions under each passage on this page. If you get both right without the translation and the passage felt comfortable, try the next level. If you needed the translation, that level is your practice level: read more at it before moving up.
How often should I practice reading?
A short text every day does more than a long session once a week, because the same words come back before you forget them. One passage a day, with the words you looked up saved for review, is a workable routine at any level.