9 Japanese Stories For Beginner 🇯🇵

Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 21st issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

In this issue of Hai Japan, you’ll be studying 9 stories.

Nine really short stories.

It’s simple.

Here’s how it works:

• Below are 9 stories. Each of these stories include romaji and an English translation.

• When you click on this link, you’ll find 3 files.

• The 1st file is called 9 Audio clips #3. This is the audio file of all 9 stories in Japanese

• The 2nd file is called Bonus Audio #3. This is the audio file for a bonus text at the end this issue that uses similar vocabulary from the 9 stories. You can listen to this to test how much you’ve retained.

• The 3rd file is called Grammar Explanation #1. This is a PDF that provides grammar explanations for each of the 9 texts. You may refer to it anytime.

And that’s it!

To the stories! 🚀 

彼は毎朝、ヒップホップのリズムに合わせてジョギングする。彼のヘッドホンからは、大好きなラッパーの新曲が流れている。走り終わると、彼はエネルギーに満ち溢れている。
Kare wa maiasa, hippu hoppu no rizumu ni awasete jogingu suru. Kare no heddohon kara wa, daisuki na rappā no shin kyoku ga nagarete iru. Hashiri owaru to, kare wa enerugī ni michiafurete iru.
Every morning, he jogs to the rhythm of hip hop. From his headphones, his favorite rapper's new song is playing. After running, he is filled with energy.

彼女のバンドは昨夜、ロックフェスティバルで演奏した。ギターソロが始まると、観客は大歓声を上げた。演奏が終わると、彼女たちはヒーローのように迎えられた。
Kanojo no bando wa sakuya, rokku fesutibaru de ensō shita. Gitā soro ga hajimaru to, kankyaku wa daikansē o ageta. Ensō ga owaru to, kanojo-tachi wa hīrō no yō ni mukaerareta.
Her band performed at the rock festival last night. When the guitar solo began, the audience cheered loudly. After the performance, they were welcomed like heroes.

ジャズクラブで、サックス奏者が素晴らしい演奏をしていた。観客は目を閉じて、その音楽に浸った。演奏が終わると、静かな拍手が広がった。
Jazu kurabu de, sakkusu sōsha ga subarashī ensō o shiteita. Kankyaku wa me o tojite, sono ongaku ni hitatta. Ensō ga owaru to, shizukana hakushu ga hirogatta.
At the jazz club, a saxophonist was giving a wonderful performance. The audience closed their eyes and immersed themselves in the music. When the performance ended, a quiet applause spread.

インディーズバンドの小さなライブに行った。彼らのオリジナル曲はとても新鮮で、心に響いた。ライブの後、CDを買ってサインをもらった。
Indīzu bando no chiisana raibu ni itta. Karera no orijinaru kyoku wa totemo shinsen de, kokoro ni hibiita. Raibu no ato, CD o katte sain o moratta.
I went to a small indie band's live show. Their original songs were very fresh and resonated with my heart. After the show, I bought a CD and got their autographs.

彼はボサノバのリズムに合わせて、カフェでギターを弾いた。静かな午後に、その音楽はとても心地よかった。お客さんたちはリラックスして、笑顔で過ごした。
Kare wa bosa nova no rizumu ni awasete, kafe de gitā o hīta. Shizukana gogo ni, sono ongaku wa totemo kokochi yokatta. Okyakusan-tachi wa rirakkusu shite, egao de sugoshita.
He played the guitar to the rhythm of bossa nova in the café. On a quiet afternoon, the music was very soothing. The customers relaxed and spent their time with smiles.

コメディアンがギターを弾きながら、面白い歌を歌った。観客は笑い転げ、涙を流した。演奏が終わると、拍手喝采が巻き起こった。
Komedian ga gitā o hikinagara, omoshiroi uta o utatta. Kankyaku wa warai koroge, namida o nagashita. Ensō ga owaru to, hakushu kassai ga makiokotta.
A comedian sang funny songs while playing the guitar. The audience laughed until they cried. When the performance ended, a thunderous applause erupted.

コンサートホールでクラシック音楽を聴いた。ピアニストの演奏は優雅で、心が洗われるようだった。終わった後、長い間立ち上がれなかった。
Konsāto hōru de kurashikku ongaku o kiita. Pianisuto no ensō wa yūga de, kokoro ga arawareru yō datta. Owatta ato, nagai aida tachiagarenakatta.
I listened to classical music at the concert hall. The pianist's performance was elegant and it felt like my heart was being cleansed. After it ended, I couldn't stand up for a long time.

ヒップホップダンスのクラスに参加した。先生はとてもクールで、みんなを励ました。クラスが終わると、全員が新しい動きをマスターしていた。
Hippu hoppu dansu no kurasu ni sankashita. Sensei wa totemo kūru de, minna o hagemashita. Kurasu ga owaru to, zen'in ga atarashī ugoki o masutā shiteita.
I joined a hip hop dance class. The teacher was very cool and encouraged everyone. By the end of the class, everyone had mastered new moves.

彼の夢は、有名なロックスターになることだった。毎日ギターを練習し、バンド仲間と曲を作った。ついに彼らの曲がラジオで流れ、夢が叶った。
Kare no yume wa, yūmei na rokkusutā ni naru koto datta. Mainichi gitā o renshū shi, bando nakama to kyoku o tsukutta. Tsui ni karera no kyoku ga rajio de nagare, yume ga kanatta.
His dream was to become a famous rock star. He practiced guitar every day and created songs with his bandmates. Finally, their song played on the radio, and his dream came true.

Bonus text:

Japanese:
彼の夢は有名なロックスターになることだった。毎日ギターを練習し、バンド仲間と新しい曲を作った。ライブフェスティバルで演奏すると、観客は大歓声を上げた。彼女はインディーズバンドの演奏に心が響いた。ジャズクラブでサックス奏者の優雅な演奏を聴き、静かな拍手が広がった。カフェで彼のボサノバギターがリラックスした雰囲気を作り出した。彼はヒップホップのリズムに合わせて毎朝ジョギングする。クラスで先生がみんなを励まし、全員が新しいダンスの動きをマスターした。コメディアンがギターを弾きながら面白い歌を歌い、観客は笑い転げた。コンサートホールでクラシック音楽を聴き、心が洗われるような気分になった。

Romaji:
Kare no yume wa yūmei na rokkusutā ni naru koto datta. Mainichi gitā o renshū shi, bando nakama to atarashī kyoku o tsukutta. Raibu fesutibaru de ensō suru to, kankyaku wa daikansē o ageta. Kanojo wa indīzu bando no ensō ni kokoro ga hibiita. Jazu kurabu de sakkusu sōsha no yūga na ensō o kiki, shizukana hakushu ga hirogatta. Kafe de kare no bosa nova gitā ga rirakkusu shita fun'iki o tsukuridashita. Kare wa hippu hoppu no rizumu ni awasete maiasa jogingu suru. Kurasu de sensei ga minna o hagemashi, zen'in ga atarashī dansu no ugoki o masutā shita. Komedian ga gitā o hikinagara omoshiroi uta o utai, kankyaku wa warai korogeta. Konsāto hōru de kurashikku ongaku o kiki, kokoro ga arawareru yōna kibun ni natta.

English:
His dream was to become a famous rock star. He practiced guitar every day and created new songs with his bandmates. When they performed at the live festival, the audience cheered loudly. She was moved by the indie band's performance. Listening to the saxophonist's elegant performance at the jazz club, a quiet applause spread. His bossa nova guitar created a relaxed atmosphere in the café. He jogs to the rhythm of hip hop every morning. In class, the teacher encouraged everyone, and they all mastered new dance moves. A comedian played the guitar and sang funny songs, making the audience laugh out loud. Listening to classical music at the concert hall made him feel like his heart was being cleansed.

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed these 9 stories and if you’d like me to continue the series 🙂 

Have a great Sunday!