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Japanese Language Reading Resources

I needed to put all my reading resources in one place lol

Tadoku - free books from beginner to advanced aimed at language learners. The books from level 0 - 4 contain furigana.

YomuJP - More free japanese graded reading material. N6 is the easiest and N1 is the hardest. Contains audio, furigana and pictures.

Jgrpg Sakura - Japanese graded reading material. You need to create an account first though

Watanoc - Web magazine aimed at language learners in easy japanese. N5-N3. Contains audio, pictures and you can hover over unknown words to reveal the meaning.

Soseki Product - This website is dedicated to the works of Natsume Sōseki and it's also aimed at language learners so there's furigana, audio and translation. These novels are from the 1900s so it might be a bit difficult but I think it's really fun

MeikaSensei - Blog posts aimed at beginners. There's beginner versions and intermediate versions of the same post. Contains furigana

Bunsuke - Contains excerpts from books with translations and vocabulary lists. Also has links to the books used. Made by a fellow language learner :)

Ehon - Picture books aimed for 0-6 year olds. Doesn't seem to contain kanji. Some books contain audio

Lingual ninja - This website is for learning hiragana/katakana/grammar/vocab/kanji but it also has a folktales section that contains audio, vocab lists and optional furigana. There's also youtube videos of each story available

yomou syosetu - Over a million free novels! I believe a lot of it is user-submitted works

Syosetsu - Similar to the above.

Bookwalker (jp) - You can read the first few volumes of manga for free here. There's also light novels and doujinshi

Aozora Bunko - digital library that contains a lot of out of copyright books

Note - User submitted posts about various topics

Easy NHK News - News in easy japanese. Contains furigana.

NHK News - The news. In Japanese

Apps

Pibo - Picture books aimed at children

Todaii - Aimed at language learners. News with furigana and pop up dictionary.

Satori Reader - Paid

Yomu Yomu - First 3 chapters are free on every story

If you have any more recommendations, tell me!

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July

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write a diary, find list of questions and answer them in text, letters to friends/fictional characters/historical figures etc, short stories, answer posts on social media, translate something someone else has written, write a short conclusion of a news article.

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菖蒲華 (Ayame hana saku) "Irises bloom"

In ancient times Japanese people divided the year into 72 "micro-seasons". These seasons were based on natural events such as the weather and appearance of various flora and fauna.

Later this month it will be 菖蒲華, marking period when irises begin to bloom.

You can find out more about Japanese micro-seasons here.

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If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

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珈琲 (kōhī) "coffee"

Japanese language students will know that "coffee" is usually written in katakana:

コーヒー

However it does have a kanji! (Or rather, it's made of 2 kanji):

珈琲

These kanji are what is known as ateji - kanji which are used to phonetically represent foreign loan words.

In many cases, the ateji are chosen primarily for their pronunciation with little regard for their semantic meaning. However in the case of 珈琲, they were chosen because they are associated with traditional Japanese hair accessories. It was thought that coffee beans on the tree look like the beads on hair accessories.

These kanji are still used in situations where a traditional atmosphere is desired, for example the coffee chain Ue Shima Kō Hī (Ueshima Coffee) uses the kanji in their name:

上島珈琲

As you can see, the above calligraphy work was a tattoo design for a client (who really loves coffee!). If you would like to commission a unique Japanese calligraphy work (for a tattoo or otherwise), feel free to check out my website to take a look at the options and prices.

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note - Japanese Social Media

Have you heard of note.com?

It's a livejournal/blog/posting kind of website where people make posts, sorted by topic, in Japanese. You can find posts about almost any topic you might be interested in!

Japanese Reading & Writing Practice

I recommend this for Japanese reading practice because although there is some net slang (and you can't guarantee that people won't make mistakes), there are a lot of posts using correct written Japanese by Japanese people. The post format gives you the opportunity to read small bits of text at a time. And with the wide breadth of topics, you can find something that will interest you to practice reading.

You can also start your own note account for Japanese writing practice! It's anonymous, so even if you make a mistake, I feel like it is less intimidating.

Tips for note

The site is completely in Japanese, so you might be more comfortable using it if you are around JLPT N3/intermediate, especially for creating an account. However, you might be able to click around and muddle your way through it (or use a translate app?) so don't let that deter you from checking it out.

I hope this helps make your Japanese study a little bit more enjoyable!

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言霊 (koto-dama) “word-spirit”

Koto-dama 言霊 is a traditional belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. 

Just like martial arts practitioners giving out a shout when they make a strike (“ki-ai!” - literally “meeting of spirit”) it is believed that sounds can affect our body, mind and soul.

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(también por favor dime si aprendiste español como lengua extranjera o si español es tu lengua nativa) (muchas gracias!!!)

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春雨 (harusamé) "gentle spring rain"

April is a rainy month in my home country of the UK.

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You know what time it is, it's

German comprehensible input

hallo aus berlin: really creepy animation but it's good for absolute beginners

Muzzy in gondoland: gonna mention this again because it's good for pretty much any language. It's an educational animated series about an alien named muzzy to teach children languages

Munich supercrew: Munich super crew is a german band dedicated to creating songs for beginners in german

Harry gefangen in der Zeit: This is a series created by the german government. I looked up dw learn german online to find the series and questions that go along with it. It's partially in English but there's progressively more german as you go along

Nicos weg: another DW classic. There are courses for a1 a2 and b1 level to learn german through a telenovela.

Treffpunkt berlin: a series that goes along with the deutsch aktuell textbook, but all the episodes are free online. The quality is bad but the series is actually pretty entertaining

Extra auf deutsch: the classic language learning telenovela. It's significantly harder than things like hallo aus berlin, so I'd recommend this more for a2 to b1 learners

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京都の桜が満開だった時 ☆*:.｡.

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卯月(uzuki) "April" (archaic)

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally "Month One", February is "Month Two", etc:

一月 = January

二月 = February

However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar).

April is 卯月.

月

Japanese learners will recognise the kanji 月 as "moon" or "month". 

卯

The first kanji is less common. It is most often used to represent the Sign of the Rabbit in East Asian Horoscopes, and the Year of the Rabbit uses this sign too.

So what is the connection between April and rabbits? 

Of course in Western countries there’s the familiar symbol of the Easter Bunny, and in springtime hares can be seen racing around the fields (the famous “mad March hare”).

Unfortunately 卯 might not refer to rabbits at all. It is believed that this kanji was originally 植, which has the same sound. 植 is the kanji for “planting”and refers to rice planning, an important event carried out every spring throughout Japan.

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Late for Spring Goals!

No bingo this time. I'll keep it very simple:

Complete the so-matome N4 book

Practice my listening skills in japanese

Mirror whenever I can

That's it! I'll read and listen to music as much as I can, but they won't be measurable goals this time. I may also do some tongue-twisters on the side, for fun.

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I got sick, so I'm very late for my recap this time.

Long story short: it did not go that much better.

I learned hangul. I watched a bit of Lidia Poet, and read almost a chapter of SpyxFamily. That's it.

I also wrote sentences for like a month, tho! That was nice.

Any progress, however little, is progress, so it's ok.

How was your winter?

A minimalist one this time. Winter goals are here!

I really hope I'm able to manage better my time this season, I have lots to watch, and read, and listen, and write.

No additional goals, I'm lowering the bar.

I hope y'all are enjoying the holidays. Do you have you new year goals ready?

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here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

can you skip rocks?

can i tag you in random stuff?

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ask game

1. whats your favorite thing in your room?

2. how tall do you wish you were?

3. what color is your hair?

4. whats a rare fear that you have?

5. are you single?

6. has your heart ever been broken?

7. what was your favorite thing as a kid?

8. favorite coping mechanism?

9. whats your favorite love language?

10. how often do you get nervous?

11. if you had three wishes, would you use them?

12. if you could be fluent in any language which one would it be?

13. where do you wish to live?

14. what’s something surprising about you?

15. when did you last shower?

16. when did you first join tumblr?

17. do you want any tattoos? if so, where, what, and why?

18. whats the most prominent dream youve had?

19. whats your dream job?

20. whats your ideal date?

21. what do you wish you could do better?

22. what country would you live in if you could?

23. whos the best person you know?

24. have you ever walked into something you shouldnt have?

25. whats your favorite holiday?

26. when have you been most embarrassed?

27. whats your favorite halloween costume?

28. what are you best at?

29. do you know how to tie your shoes?

30. do you have siblings?

31. if you could know one thing about the future what do you wanna know?

32. whats a dealbreaker for you?

33. whats your favorite current class?

34. how many people have you dated?

35. how often do you wash your hair?

36. do you daydream? what about?

37. where do you go to be alone?

38. which parent do you like more?

39. whats the one standard you hold yourself to?

40. whos voice do you enjoy?

41. if you could announce one thing to the world what would it be?

42. whats one thing you wanna do but havent yet?

43. what do you wish you never did?

44. do you believe in life after death?

45. do you prefer book over movie?

46. whats your favorite season?

47. whats your favorite time of day

48. do you have a beloved stuffed animal?

49. whens a time you wish you acted differently?

50. what’s something you wish that you never bought?

51. do you have your own room?

52. whats your favorite book?

53. who’s someone you hate?

54. whats your best hottake?

55. whats your favorite game?

56. whens a time you felt real genuine fear?

57. are you a morning person?

58. do you drink enough water?

59. how different are you from the little kid you used to be?

60. do you enjoy tumblr?

61. have you ever had a tumblr experience that made you wanna delete the app?

62. whats your least favorite game?

63. were you a markiplier fan?

64. how do you respond to compliments?

65. whats something that would make you fall in love?

66. do you believe in marriage?

67. do you have a crush on someone?

68. do you like tumblr?

69. were you a voltron stan?

70. whats your favorite ship?

71. whats your favorite song?

72. do you like loud crowds?

73. have you ever created conflict on purpose?

74. how do you sleep?

75. do you bite your lips?

76. do you use chapstick?

77. do you have any pets?

78. what color are your eyes?

79. what’s something you wish you could change about yourself?

80. have you ever had surgery?

81. whats your least favorite animal?

82. whats something that youre really bad at?

83. do you have an sqishmellows?

84. do you enjoy fast food?

85. do you like soda?

86. what grade are you in?

87. do you wear any jewelry?

88. what socials do you use?

89. whats your lowest grade in school right now?

90. whats the latest youve stayed up till?

91. did you ever have bangs?

92. what trends did you hate?

93. whats your favorite item of clothing?

94. do you like dinosaurs?

95. whats your opinion on body hair?

96. whats your least favorite time?

97. do you make a wish at 11:11?

98. do you have your phone on military or regular?

99. have you ever been to church?

100. are you lgbtq?