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文庫BunkoJapanese classics, made readable with AI

N4

Elementary · JLPT N4

JLPT N4 reading practice: easy Japanese short stories

N4 adds about 700 words and the grammar that makes stories flow: the te-form for connecting actions, ～ている, ～たり～たりする, potential and volitional forms, and simple conditionals. That is enough to follow a narrative if the vocabulary is controlled.

The N4 shelf has retellings written to the N4 word list, plus the shortest and simplest original texts. The retellings keep the plot and the ending of the original; only the language is simplified. When you finish one, open the original from the same page and compare how the author told it.

Simplified retellings for N4

33 stories

Cover of 赤いろうそくと人魚 (Akai Rōsoku to Ningyo)

赤いろうそくと人魚
The Mermaid and the Crimson Candles
Retold for N4 · after Ogawa Mimei

Cover of 赤い蝋燭と人魚 (Akai Rōsoku to Ningyo)

赤い蝋燭と人魚
Red Candles on the Shrine Hill
Retold for N4 · after Ogawa Mimei

Cover of 飴だま (Amedama)

飴だま
The Samurai and the Last Sweet
Retold for N4 · after Niimi Nankichi

Cover of 毒もみのすきな署長さん (Dokumomi no Sukina Shochōsan)

毒もみのすきな署長さん
The Police Chief and His Favourite Pastime
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of どんぐりと山猫 (Donguri to Yamaneko)

どんぐりと山猫
The Wildcat's Acorn Trial
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of 双子の星 (Futago no Hoshi)

双子の星
The Star Twins by the Silver River
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of ごん狐 (Gongitsune)

ごん狐
Gon's Chestnuts
Retold for N4 · after Niimi Nankichi

Cover of 箱の中のあなた (Hako no Naka no Anata)

箱の中のあなた
The Stranger in the Viewfinder
Retold for N4 · after Yamakawa Masao

Cover of 花咲かじじい (Hanasakajijii)

花咲かじじい
Grandpa Blossom
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of 一房の葡萄 (Hitofusa no Budō)

一房の葡萄
Grapes from the Teacher's Window
Retold for N4 · after Arishima Takeo

Cover of いちょうの実 (Ichō no Jitsu)

いちょうの実
Departure Morning on the Ginkgo Tree
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of かちかち山 (Kachikachi Yama)

かちかち山
Click-Clack Mountain
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of 貝の火 (Kai no Hi)

貝の火
Homoi and the Shell-Fire Jewel
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of きりぎりす (Kirigirisu)

きりぎりす
A Small Cricket
Retold for N4 · after Dazai Osamu

Cover of 狐 (Kitsune)

狐
The Fox in the New Clogs
Retold for N4 · after Niimi Nankichi

Cover of 魔術 (Majutsu)

魔術
The Sorcerer of Ōmori
Retold for N4 · after Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Cover of 待つ (Matsu)

待つ
Every Day at the Little Station
Retold for N4 · after Dazai Osamu

Cover of 桃太郎 (Momotarō)

桃太郎
The Boy Who Came from a Peach
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of 夏の葬列 (Natsu no Sōretsu)

夏の葬列
A Procession in Midsummer
Retold for N4 · after Yamakawa Masao

Cover of ねずみの嫁入り (Nezumi no Yomeiri)

ねずみの嫁入り
The Finest Match in All the Land
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of 二ひきの蛙 (Nihiki no Kaeru)

二ひきの蛙
The Green Frog and the Yellow Frog
Retold for N4 · after Niimi Nankichi

Cover of 野ばら (Nobara)

野ばら
A Wild Rose on the Border
Retold for N4 · after Ogawa Mimei

Cover of おじいさんのランプ (Ojiisan no Ranpu)

おじいさんのランプ
The Lamp in Grandfather's Storehouse
Retold for N4 · after Niimi Nankichi

Cover of オツベルと象 (Otsuberu to Zō)

オツベルと象
The White Elephant Who Wandered into Otsuberu's Threshing Shed
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of 猿かに合戦 (Saru ka ni Kassen)

猿かに合戦
A Persimmon Seed for a Rice Ball
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of 白 (Shiro)

白
The Dog Called White
Retold for N4 · after Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Cover of 舌切りすずめ (Shitakirisuzume)

舌切りすずめ
The Sparrow with the Snipped Tongue
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of トロッコ (Torokko)

トロッコ
The Rail Cart
Retold for N4 · after Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Cover of 杜子春 (Toshishun)

杜子春
Toshishun and the Hermit of Mount Gabi
Retold for N4 · after Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Cover of 浦島太郎 (Urashima Tarō)

浦島太郎
Urashima Tarō and the Palace Under the Sea
Retold for N4 · after Kusuyama Masao

Cover of やまなし (Yamanashi)

やまなし
The Wild Pear in the Stream
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of よだかの星 (Yodaka no Hoshi)

よだかの星
How the Nighthawk Became a Star
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Cover of ざしき童子のはなし (Zashikibokko no Hanashi)

ざしき童子のはなし
Tales of the Parlour Child
Retold for N4 · after Miyazawa Kenji

Original stories at N4

1 story

Cover of 去年の木 (Kyonen no Ki)

去年の木
The Tree the Bird Sang To
Niimi Nankichi · N4

去年の木 — The Tree the Bird Sang To

Niimi Nankichi · 791 characters · 1 part · about 7 minutes

去年の木 (The Tree the Bird Sang To) is a very short fable by Niimi Nankichi, the children's author best known for ごんぎつね. A small bird and a tree are close friends, and every day the bird sings to the tree. When winter comes the bird has to fly away, and it…