9 Really Short Japanese Stories 🇯🇵

Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 18th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Hey, ya’ll :)

It’s been a pretty productive week for me.

Firstly, I’ve started watching the hit television series Shōgun which has been nothing short of amazing (and somewhat educational).

Then I finally made it to the 2nd season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

Oh, and my song of the week?

Nijikan Dake No Vacance (feat. Sheena Ringa) by Hikaru Utada.

I cannot recommend these enough.

But let’s get back to business.

In this special 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 #1. This is the audio file of all 9 stories in Japanese

• The 2nd file is called Bonus Audio #1. 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!

But if you’re looking to develop a strong foundation in Japanese ASAP, then I recommend you check out Hikari Sensei’s Beginner Masterclass. 

She’s one of the top Japanese teachers on the internet.

But this offer expires in less than 24hrs so if you’re even remotely interested, I recommend at least taking a look at it.

I’ve used it myself and it’ll definitely help get you to intermediate (quickly).

Anyway, to the stories! 🚀 

• 太郎は新しい本を買いました。とても面白くて、一日で読み終わりました。次の本が楽しみです。 (Tarō wa atarashī hon o kaimashita. Totemo omoshirokute, ichinichi de yomiowarimashita. Tsugi no hon ga tanoshimi desu.)

Taro bought a new book. It was so interesting that he finished it in one day. He looks forward to the next book.

• さくらはケーキを作りました。上手にできて、とても嬉しかったです。友達も喜びました。 (Sakura wa kēki o tsukurimashita. Jōzu ni dekite, totemo ureshikatta desu. Tomodachi mo yorokobimashita.)

Sakura made a cake. It turned out well, and she was very happy. Her friends were happy too.

• 犬はボールを見つけました。遊びたくて、しっぽをふっていました。子供たちと一緒に遊びました。 (Inu wa bōru o mitsukemashita. Asobitakute, shippo o futteimashita. Kodomotachi to issho ni asobimashita.)

The dog found a ball. It wagged its tail because it wanted to play. It played with the children.

• 山田さんは朝ご飯を食べました。パンとコーヒーが好きです。毎朝同じものを食べます。 (Yamada-san wa asagohan o tabemashita. Pan to kōhī ga sukidesu. Maiasa onaji mono o tabemasu.)

Mr. Yamada had breakfast. He likes bread and coffee. He eats the same thing every morning.

• 学校に行く途中で、花を見つけました。きれいで写真を撮りました。とてもいい気分になりました。 (Gakkō ni iku tochū de, hana o mitsukemashita. Kirei de shashin o torimashita. Totemo ii kibun ni narimashita.)

On the way to school, I found a flower. It was beautiful, so I took a picture. It made me feel very good.

• 店で新しい服を買いました。とてもかわいくて、気に入りました。早く着たいです。 (Mise de atarashī fuku o kaimashita. Totemo kawaikute, kiniirimashita. Hayaku kītai desu.)

I bought new clothes at the store. They are very cute, and I like them. I want to wear them soon.

• 田中くんは野球が好きです。毎週末、友達と練習します。将来はプロになりたいです。 (Tanaka-kun wa yakyū ga sukidesu. Maishūmatsu, tomodachi to renshū shimasu. Shōrai wa puro ni naritai desu.)

Tanaka likes baseball. He practices with his friends every weekend. He wants to be a professional in the future.

• 母は料理が得意です。毎晩おいしいご飯を作ってくれます。今日はカレーです。 (Haha wa ryōri ga tokuidesu. Maiban oishī gohan o tsukutte kuremasu. Kyō wa karē desu.)

My mother is good at cooking. She makes delicious meals every night. Today, we have curry.

• 春になると、桜が咲きます。みんなでお花見に行きます。とても楽しい時間です。 (Haru ni naru to, sakura ga sakimasu. Minna de ohanami ni ikimasu. Totemo tanoshī jikan desu.)

When spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom. Everyone goes to see them. It is a very fun time.

Bonus text:

Can you understand some of this?

太郎は朝ご飯を食べて、学校に行く途中で桜の花を見つけました。きれいなので、写真を撮りました。学校では、田中くんと一緒に野球の練習をしました。放課後、店で新しい服を買って、とても気に入りました。家に帰ると、母がカレーを作ってくれていました。夜、さくらが作ったケーキを食べて、とても嬉しかったです。猫はボールで遊び、犬はしっぽをふっていました。みんなが楽しい一日を過ごしました。

Taro had breakfast and found cherry blossoms on the way to school. They were beautiful, so he took a picture. At school, he practiced baseball with Tanaka. After school, he bought new clothes at the store and liked them very much. When he got home, his mother had made curry. In the evening, he ate the cake Sakura made and was very happy. The cat played with a ball, and the dog wagged its tail. Everyone had a fun day.

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!