Yonde Miyo-! Volume 3: Short and Fun Japanese Stories in Hiragana and Basic Kanji

By Clay Boutwell and Yumi Boutwell

Have you only recently learned hiragana but need practice? You’ve found the right book. Or perhaps, hiragana is no problem, but you want to build your hiragana and kanji reading comprehension? Ditto.

If you are a beginner to upper beginner of Japanese, this new collection of stories is here to the rescue!

Read real Japanese—beginner level but not boring Japanese! You won't find the Japanese version of Dick and Jane, but you will find stories written for adults. Enjoy reading flash fiction, super short essays, and funny stories of common mistakes made by learners of Japanese.

Best of all, the only requirement is that you can read hiragana and have a very basic understanding of Japanese. Vocabulary and grammar will be defined and explained.

Download free sound files of the stories read both slowly and at normal speed (link found on the last page)

Every beginner-level story is presented in three ways: hiragana only (with spaces), Japanese with furigana, and full Japanese without furigana

On each page, you'll find a complete glossary of the words with grammar and sentence structure explained

For beginners (who have learned or are learning hiragana)

The format is a little different from our other more advanced readers. The idea is for the reader to read the entire story three times. Each page will have a sentence or two in hiragana (with spaces between words for you to see “words” instead of syllables) at the top and that same content in full Japanese (with furigana—small hiragana over kanji) at the bottom. The middle will have the glossary and grammatical explanations. Lastly, the story is presented in Japanese without furigana. See if you can read it after going through the previous two versions and explanations.

If you have just learned hiragana, you may want to listen to the sound file while reading the top hiragana section to practice correct pronunciation. If you have studied Japanese a bit longer, you may want to start with the bottom version and take note of the glossary for understanding.

The glossary will have the word as it appears in the story, but it will also give the “dictionary” form so you can look the word up further.

Stories included in this volume:

日本のトイレ JAPANESE TOILETS
押し入れ THE CLOSET
いい年II TOSHI
胡坐 STILLING CROSS-LEGGED
休み DAY OFF
おじぎ BOWING
電車 JAPANESE TRAINS
日本の田舎 COUNTRYSIDE IN JAPAN
日本の犬 JAPANESE DOGS
タコ焼き TAKOYAKI

Having fun while learning a language is a great way to increase motivation. With increased motivation, you are less likely to skip a day's study. A skipped day can quickly become a skipped week and then a skipped… forever.

And so, we hope you will have as much fun reading these stories as we had writing them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kotoba Inc
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798847085205

Book preview

Table of Contents

日本のトイレ Japanese Toilets 7

押し入れ The Closet 24

いい年ii Toshi 41

胡坐 Stilling Cross-legged 60

休み Day Off 72

おじぎ Bowing 84

電車 Japanese Trains 96

日本の田舎 Countryside in Japan 110

日本の犬 Japanese Dogs 123

タコ焼き Takoyaki 136

Story 1

日本のトイレ Japanese Toilets

日本のトイレ nihon no toire―Japanese toilet [日本 (にほん )(Japan) + の (modifier) + トイレ (toilet)]

As a reminder, the top and bottom Japanese texts are identical in meaning. The top version is only in hiragana and includes spaces between words. The bottom version has no spaces and uses kanji with furigana.

Unless you are just practicing hiragana recognition, try to work through both versions to improve reading speed, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, vocabulary, kanji, and grammar. If you don’t feel confident in your understanding, review the English translation at the end.

ある ひ、くれい さん と あめりかじん の ともだち は、ふたり で いっしょ に れすとらん に いきました。

ある日 aru hi―one day; (on) a certain day [ある (certain; some) + 日(ひ) (day)]

クレイさん kurei san―Clay [クレイ (Clay) + さん (an honorific suffix which means Mr., Ms., Mrs. or Miss that can be used with both first and last names and both genders)]

と to―and

アメリカ人 amerikajin―American person [アメリカ (American; United States of America) + 人(じん) (person; man)]

友だち tomodachi―friend; companion

アメリカ人の友だち amerikajin no tomodachi―American friend [アメリカ人(じん) (American) + の (modifier) + 友(とも)だち (friend)]

は wa―(topic marker particle)

二人 futari―two persons; two people [二 (two) + 人 (person; man; people); irregular pronunciation: futari]

で de―with (indicates a total or an extent) [it is placed after a quantity, time, or amount of money]

一緒に issho ni―together (with); at the same time

レストランに resutoran ni―to the restaurant [レストラン (restaurant) + に (to)]

行きました ikimashita―went [polite past form of 行(い)く (to go)]

ある日(ひ)、クレイさんとアメリカ人(じん)の友(とも)だちは、二人(ふたり)で一緒(いっしょ)にレストランに行(い)きました。

ふたり とも、にほん に ついた ばかり で、にほんご は、しょしんしゃ れべる でした。

二人とも futari tomo―both (people); both of them [二人 (ふたり ) (two persons) + とも (both; suffix)]

日本に nihon ni―in Japan [日本 (にほん ) (Japan) + に (in)]

ついたばかりで tsuita bakari de―just arrived and [ついた (arrived; plain past form of つく (to arrive at)) + ばかり (just) + で (and); ~たばかり means just did something / just finished doing something; how to form: Verb (past tense) + ばかり]

日本語 nihongo―Japanese (language)

は wa―(topic marker particle)

初心者レベル shoshinsha reberu―beginner level [初心者 (しょしんしゃ ) (beginner) + レベル (level)]

でした deshita―was (polite past tense marker) [typically used with nouns and な-adjectives; how to form: Noun + でした; な-adjective (stem) + でした]

二人(ふたり)とも、日本(にほん)についたばかりで、日本語(にほんご)は、初心者(しょしんしゃ)レベルでした。

ちゅうもん が おわる と、くれい さん の ともだち は、といれ に いく こと に しました。

注文 chuumon―order (for an item)

が ga―(indicates the sentence subject (occasionally the object))

終わる owaru―to finish; to end

と to―when; if; as soon as

クレイさんの友だち kurei san no tomodachi―Clay’s friend [クレイさん (Clay) + の (‘s) + 友(とも)だち (friend)]

トイレに toire ni―to the toilet [トイレ (toilet) + に (to)]

行くことにしました iku koto ni shimashita―decided to go [行(い)く (to go) + ことにしました (decided to; polite past form of ことにする (decide to; to decide on); ことにする focuses on one’s decision; how to form: Verb (dictionary/ない-form) + ことにする)]

注文(ちゅうもん)が終(お)わると、クレイさんの友(とも)だちは、トイレに行(い)くことにしました。

「ちょっと といれ。すぐ もどります。」と ともだち は いいました が、なかなか もどって きません。

「」―(quotation marks; )

ちょっとトイレ chotto toire―(I) go to the toilet [ちょっと (serves as filler for politeness and can be omitted entirely from the sentence) + トイレ