Learn Japanese Through Short Stories: 25 Unique Tales For Beginners To Grow Your Vocabulary

By Fluency Pro

Interested in learning Japanese, but find the language difficult to study?

You're not alone.

Learning Japanese is notoriously difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Imagine being able to learn Japanese by reading 25 short, interesting and concise stories that teach you practical vocabulary. As you continue to read, you will be able to master the intricacies of Japanese grammar and successfully turn Japanese into a manageable, everyday language that you can use to communicate with others. That's the goal of this book. And that's why it's so different from other books on the market.

FEATURES:

• 25 Unique Stories: Each of the stories in this book is unique and contains a different topic that will keep you excited to learn.
• Easy to Understand: The stories are simple and engaging to help you enjoy reading.
• English Translations: We provide full, line by line, English translations for each story.
• Beginner Friendly: Each story comes with a list of vocabulary for each chapter, as well as slang for each term. This will allow you to grow your Japanese vocabulary in a fun and enjoyable way.
• Effective Quizzes: In every story there are 10 multiple choice questions, each with an English translation. These questions allow you to review what you have read, test your understanding and also help you to improve your comprehension skills.

... And So Much More!

With this book, you'll get all the tools you need to start speaking and writing in Japanese.

So what are you waiting for? Start your journey into the fascinating world of Japanese today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: CB Books
• Release date: Jan 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223294313

Book preview

Introduction

Do you want to learn Japanese in a fun way? This book can help you!

By learning the Japanese language, you can discover a whole new Japanese culture and unique aspects of Japanese writing. There are 3 aspects: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Whether you want to learn Japanese for fun, for work, or to meet new people, this book will help you prepare for it.

Maybe you have heard that Japanese is very hard. Don’t worry! We’re here to help you understand the language in a fun and easy way. Read this book, and you will get used to reading Hiragana, Katakana, or even Kanji!

What is the book about?

We’ve written this book to help Japanese language learners cover their lack of reading skills. Unlike in English, in Japanese, you are given hard literature by your teacher. And usually, you will consult your dictionary more than you want to. If you learn this way every day, you’ll eventually get bored and lose the motivation to continue learning altogether. But don’t worry. Our goal will be to provide you with entertaining, helpful, and challenging materials that will not only allow you to learn the language but also give you the experience of learning Japanese in a fun and less formal way.

This book is laid out and structured to provide the maximum benefit to the reader. Every chapter will consist of a story, a vocabulary list, and a quiz. Each paragraph of a story will have an English translation. When you read the stories, you will also find bold vocabulary terms. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the meaning yet. Those terms will later appear in the vocabulary lists where you will discover their meaning. After that, you will be presented with a quiz at the end.

Each story’s quiz will consist of 10 questions related to the story. The questions are a great way to improve your reading comprehension because they make you think about specific parts of the story again.

The more you read the story, the better your comprehension will become.

Recommended steps for using this book:

The stories will be like any fantasy, romance, or mystery book, but with a different goal. Your goal is to understand the whole story’s essence and enrich your vocabulary. Don't get upset if you feel lost at first. It is normal if you don’t understand some vocabulary or sentences upon first reading. Therefore, we will give every list of vocabulary that is used in every story with the type and English meaning.

Before you begin each story, here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of this book.

Read the stories in a good mood. Don’t feel stressed if you’re having trouble understanding the meaning. Take a break when necessary!

Even though we have already provided you with plenty of data to help you learn, feel free to use additional tools like a dictionary or other materials to help you make the most of it.

Try to write your own story on a piece of paper once you have finished reading a story. The materials provided not only help you to read but also write. Let people hear your interesting stories.

With all this in mind, let’s get started on the first story!

Chapter 1

あか赤いねこ猫 / The Red Cat

あやねは、みち道をある歩いているときにあるねこ猫をみ見つけました。ふつう普通のねこ猫ではありません。あか赤いいろ色をしためずら珍しいねこ猫です。ちか近づくとそのねこ猫がに逃げだ出しました。あやねは、こんわく困惑したままいえ家にかえ帰りました。おかあ母さんにそのあか赤いねこ猫のことをなん何かい回い言ってもむだ無駄のようです。おかあ母さんがどうしてもしん信じてくれません。「おとう父さんにそうだん相談しようかな？」とあやねはおも思いました。

そら空がくら暗くなったころ頃、おとう父さんのこえ声がき聞こえてきました。「ただいま」とき聞こえるとすぐに「おかえ帰り」とへんじ返事しました。そして、おとう父さんにあか赤いねこ猫をみ見たことをつた伝えてみました。おとう父さんは、うたがわ疑わずにあかねのことをしん信じてくれました。「ああ、おとう父さんもきょう今日、おな同じけいけん経験をしたよ！」とおとう父さんがはな話しはじ始めました。「けさ今朝、かいしゃ会社へむ向かったときにそのねこ猫をみ見て、ちか近づくとに逃げたんだよ」。わたし私とおな同じだとおも思いました。つぎ次のひ日、おとう父さんとあやねは、そのねこ猫をいっ一しょ緒にさが探すことにしました。そのばん晩、あやねはいつもよりはや早くね寝ました。

When Ayane walked down the road, she found a cat. It didn’t look like a normal cat. It was a rare, red cat. When she got closer to it, it ran away. Then, she went home in confusion. No matter how many times she talked to her mother, it seemed futile. Her mother didn’t believe her. Maybe I should talk to my father, she thought.

When the sky turned dark, her father’s voice could be heard from outside. After hearing I’m home, she replied, Welcome home. At that time, she talked to her father about the red cat. Without a doubt, he believed her. Ah, today, I had that kind of experience too! her father said. This morning, when I was heading to the office, I saw that cat, and when I tried to get closer to it, it ran. She thought that it was the same with hers too. Ayane and her father will find the cat tomorrow. Ayane fell asleep faster than usual.

あさ朝ひ日がのぼ登り、いちにち一日がはじ始まりました。あやねはおとう父さんをお起こして、いっ一しょ緒にねこ猫をさが探すよ予てい定です。ふたり二人で３じ時かん間い以じょう上、きん近じょ所しゅう周へん辺をさが探しまわ回りましたが、そのねこ猫がみ見つかりません。そのときとつぜん突然、あるあか赤いあしあと足跡をみ見つけました。そのあしあと足跡をお追っていくとついにねこ猫がいたのです！しかし、あやねとおとう父さんはがっかりしました。なぜなら、そのねこ猫はあか赤いねこ猫ではありませんでした。ざんねん残念におも思いながら、そのひ日はかえ帰りました。でも、ふたり二人ともはまだあきら諦めません。どうしてもあのあか赤いねこ猫をみ見つけるつもりです。

The sun rose and the day began. Ayane woke her father up and went to find the cat. After three hours, the cat could not be found, even after searching around the neighborhood. Suddenly, they saw some red footprints. They finally found a cat when they followed the footprints! However, Ayane and her father were disappointed because the cat was not red. They came home sadly. But, neither of them has given up yet. No matter what, they must find that cat.

つぎ次のひ日、ふたり二人はいつもよりはや早くお起きていえ家をで出ました。ふしぎ不思議なことにこん今ど度は、おな同じばしょ場所にそのねこ猫がいました。お落ちつ着いてゆっくりとちか近づくことにしました。もうすこ少しでそのあか赤いねこ猫をつか捕まえることができるとおも思ったしゅんかん瞬間、ねこ猫がき気づいてに逃げだ出しました。ねこ猫をみ見のが逃さないようにと、ふたり二人ともそのねこ猫をお追いかけました。しかし、ねこ猫がとちゅう途中であるいえ家のまえ前でと止まりました。そしてそのいえ家のなか中にはい入ってき消えてしまったのです。ねこ猫をつか捕まえることはできませんでしたが、ヒントをみ見つけました。あか赤いねこ猫はそのいえ家にす住んでいるにちが違いありません。つぎ次のさくせん作戦は、そのいえ家でねこ猫がかえ帰るのをま待とうと思います。しかし、もんだい問題はどうやってそのいえ家にはい入るかです。だれ誰のいえ家かわかりません。とりあえず「となり隣のいえ家にき聞いてみようか？」と、おとう父さんがい言いました。あやねはおとう父さんにさんせい賛成し、いっしょ一緒にとなり隣のいえ家のひと人にき聞いてみることにしました。

The next day, they got up earlier than usual, and both of them went to find the cat. Strangely, this time the cat was in the same place. They have to stay calm and approach slowly. Just when Ayane thought she could grab it and succeed, the cat noticed her and ran away. Both of them were catching up to the cat because they didn't want to lose. However, the cat had stopped at a house on the way. It went home and disappeared. They had found a hint, even if they hadn’t caught the cat. Now they thought the red cat must live in that house. The next strategy was to go to the house and wait for the cat to return. But the question was, how did they get into the house? No one knew whose home it was. Should we ask the neighbor's house? said the father. She agreed, so they executed the plan.

ふたり二人は、またそのあた辺りにい行き、きん近じょ所のひと人たちにねこ猫のいるいえ家についてき聞いてみました。さん3じかん時間ほどき聞いてまわ回ったのですが、だれ誰もわからないようです。やっぱり、そのいえ家にちょく直せつ接い行ってき聞くしかないようです。ねこ猫がまだかえ帰らないうちに、そのいえ家のドアをノックしてみました。へん返じ事がありません。あやねがもういち一ど度ノックしましたが、またへんじ返事がありません。さんかい三回ノックしたとき、ようやくおばあさんがすがた姿をみ見せました。おばあさんがドアをあ開けてくれました。あやねはじこしょうかい自己紹介したあとで、あか赤いねこ猫のことをき聞いてみました。でもおばあさんはそのねこ猫のことをし知らないようです。あかねは、こんかい今回もダメかとざん残ねん念におも思いました。かえ帰ろうとしたときにねこ猫がかえ帰ってきました。でも、あか赤いねこ猫ではなくてちゃいろ茶色のねこ猫です。「ええこっちこ来いよ！あかこちゃん！！」おばあさんがさけ叫びました。ねこ猫があのおばあさんにむ向かってか駆けだ出しました。そのちゃ茶いろ色いねこ猫はおばあさんのねこ猫です。そうすると、いったいあのあか赤いねこ猫はだれ誰のねこ猫でしょう？

They went around to that area again and asked about the neighbor's house. After asking for 3 hours, they didn't find an answer. After all, it seemed that there was no choice but to go to the house. Before the cat came home, they knocked on the door. No reply. She knocked a second time, but still no answer. After knocking three times, an old lady finally appeared. The old lady opened the door for her. After she introduced herself, she asked about the red cat. But the old lady didn't seem to know that. She wondered if this time was a failure too. The cat came home when she was about to go home. But, it's a brown, not red cat. Hey, come here! Akako-chan!" cried the old woman. The cat ran away toward the old lady. The cat is the old lady's pet. So, whose cat is the red cat?

そのひ日もまたあきら諦めてかえ帰りました。あかねは、ね寝るときもあのあか赤いねこ猫のことをずっとかんが考えました。ぜったい絶対にまぼろしじゃないとかく確しん信しているのです。あやねは、いままでやってきたことをもういち一ど度く繰りかえ返してみようとおも思いました。

つぎ次のあさ朝、いつもよりはや早くお起きてきのう昨日とおな同じば場しょ所にい行ってみました。い意がい外なことに、きのう昨日あ会ったおばあさんのちゃいろ茶色のねこ猫がそこにいました。そのねこ猫にはとく特にきょう興み味はなかったのですが、ちょっとき気になったのでお追いかけてみました。ちゃいろ茶色のねこ猫は、こうえん公園にい行きました。ゴミばこ箱のなか中のものをた食べたかったみたいです。すぐにゴミばこ箱のなか中にと飛びこ込みました。ちか近くでみ見ていて、おも思わずおどろ驚いてわら笑ってしまいました。あか赤いいろ色のねこ猫にみ見えたのは、じつ実はあか赤いペンキがそのちゃいろ茶色のねこ猫についていたからだったのです。なんともなぞ謎としかいえません。

Ayane gave up and went home. She kept thinking about the red cat even when she went to bed. She believed that it was not an illusion. She was going to try to repeat what she had done so far.

The next morning, she got up earlier than usual and tried to follow the same route as yesterday. Unexpectedly, there was that brown cat. She was not interested in that cat, but she was a little curious, so she went after it. The cat wanted to go to the park and eat, so it jumped into a trash can. Ayane was surprised and laughed when she looked closely. After all, red is just a color, and the cat had red paint on it. It was just a simple mystery.

そして、そのあか赤くなったねこ猫はみずたま水溜りにい行ってあか赤いペンキをからだ体からあら洗いなが流しました。すると、もと元のちゃいろ茶色のねこ猫にもど戻りました！いよいよなぞ謎がと解けました！さが探していたあか赤いねこ猫とちゃいろ茶色いねこ猫はおな同じねこ猫だったのです。さいしょ最初からちゃいろ茶色いねこ猫がさが探していたあか赤いねこ猫だったのですが、き気づかなかっただけでした。

あやねは、ねこ猫といっしょ一緒におばあさんのいえ家にい行きました。ねこ猫があか赤くなったほうほう方法をおばあさんにつた伝えました。おばあさんがわら笑いだ出しました。

あやねはいえ家にもど戻りそのシンプルなおかしなはなし話をおかあ母さんにはな話しました。まえ前はまった全くき聞くみみ耳をも持たなかったおかあ母さんがおお大きいこえ声でわら笑いだ出しました。じつ実はあのあか赤いねこ猫はもしかしたらなに何かわる悪いきざ兆しかもしれないとおも思っていたのですが、そんなことではなかったのですね。ただのかんちが勘違いでした。だい大したことではなかったのかもしれませんが、あやねはたの楽しいけいけん経験をしました。たの楽しみって、こんなシンプルなことからはじ始まるのかもしれません。

Then the reddened cat went to a puddle to wash the red paint off its body. It went back to the original brown cat! The mystery was finally solved! The red and brown cats were the same cat. She found the cat from the beginning, but she just hadn't noticed it. She went to the old lady’s house again with the cat. She told the old lady how the cat had turned red. The old lady laughed.

When Ayane told her mother that funny and simple story, she didn't believe her at first, but then she laughed out loud. I thought that a red cat was unlucky, or a bad omen, but it was not. It was just a mistake. It might not have been a big deal, but it was fun. Fun can begin with something as simple as this.

たんご単語 / Vocabulary

クイズ / Quiz

1.      あやねは、どこであか赤いねこ猫をみ見つけましたか？

a.みち道

b.いえ家

c.そら空

d.となり隣のいえ家

1.      Where did Ayane find the red cat?

a. In the road

b. In the house

c. In