Japanese Graded Readers Level 3 - Vol. 1

Level 3 of the popular Japanese Graded Readers series is suitable for students taking JLPT level N3~N4. It includes 35 stories with a set number of vocabulary and is accompanied by an audio CD featuring native Japanese speakers (samples below). This product is actually a boxed-set of 5 booklets (each about 30 pages) which comprise 7 stories. The included downloadable mp3 includes the full-text read by Japanese native speakers.

Japanese Graded Readers Level 3 - Volume 1 is designed for a proficiency level equivalent to Japanese Langauge Proficiency Test Level N4. The set of stories utilizes a vocabulary of about 800 words. (The stories range in length from about 2,500 to 5,000 words.) The grammar points include: kanou-kei, meirei-kei, ukemi-kei, ikou-kei, ~toki, ~tara, ~ba, ~nara, ~sou, ~you, fukugou doushi, etc.

As you can see from the two-page images below, the stories are beautifully illustrated, and furigana (small kana written above kanji to show the pronunciation) is included on all the kanji.

Japanese Graded Readers (JGR's) are written in an easy and controlled language for foreign or second language learners of Japanese. They are graded according to the size of vocabulary, the complexity of grammar structures, and the total number of words used in each book. They are designed to cater to all levels from beginners to advanced students.

For most language learners, reading Japanese books has been a daunting task. There are many unknown words, kanji, and expressions beyond their level of understanding. JGR's have changed all that so now students can enjoy reading without having to constantly stop and look up unknown kanji, words, or phrases in the dictionary. Research has also shown that students who read in Japanese improve their Japanese in other areas of the language at a faster rate than students who don't read.

We encourage you not to reach for a dictionary while reading Japanese Graded Readers. Try to skip words and phrases that you don't understand and simply keep on reading. Their meanings will become apparent eventually from the context and illustrations. Finally, if the going gets tough, simply stop reading and try a different one. Don't try too hard to finish! If you do, you might begin to hate reading in Japanese.

There is one audio track that did not fit on the included CD. You can download it from Ask Publishings website.

Audio Sample