Japanese Graded Readers

White Rabbit Press

In-app purchases

About this app

Enjoy reading in Japanese without a dictionary. Japanese Graded Readers are stories specially written for language learners. They employ a limited set of grammar and vocabulary so learners can enjoy reading without struggling. Each story is handcrafted by a team of Japanese language teachers to be read without a dictionary. New vocabulary and difficult concepts are illustrated with carefully created artwork. Additionally, each story includes audio of the full-text narrated by professional Japanese voice actors.


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.


Studies show learners who use graded readers improve reading speed, reading fluency, help develop and enrich already known vocabulary, and improve the ability to move from working-with-words to working-with-ideas when reading.


Download the app and enjoy reading in Japanese today!

Japanese Graded Readers levels:

• Level 0: Beginner level using very basic Japanese. Each graded reader includes less than 400 words. These stories are suitable for students starting to learn Japanese and trying to pass JLPT N5.
• Level 1: Stories with length between 400 and 1500 words. They are perfect for both JLPT N5 and N4 students.
• Level 2: Elementary level using basic Japanese vocabulary. The length of these Japanese texts is between 1500 and 2500 words. These stories are tailored for learners trying to pass JLPT N4.
• Level 3: Intermediate level stories using everyday Japanese. Level 3 graded readers are made for learners between JLPT N3 and N4. They include 2500 to 5000 words per story.
• Level 4: Upper-intermediate level texts using standard Japanese vocabulary. This level has the longest stories with 5000 to 10000 words per text. Those graded readers are perfect for people at JLPT N3 or N2.

More Information:

• Visit the White Rabbit Press website to learn more: https://www.whiterabbitpress.com

Ratings and reviews

There are no ads. You get part of a level 1 story as a free demo. Each story costs three or four dollars, which is less than a fast food meal, and much better for you : ) The interface is simple and clean. Perfect for my easily distracted mind. The stories are interesting, and the audio is at a good pace, and pronounced clearly. This app is helping improve my Japanese so much. I wish they would put all of the Graded Readers on this app!

This app is very good, I bought the story you get a free preview of and found I could understand well despite my Japanese being pretty poor. The stories are a little too expensive for what they are (if this one is anything to go by), and the selection is limited. I'd say if you have the money to spare these are good resources, but if you're learning on a budget maybe give this one a pass. Would give 5 stars of the prices were lower. With more content a subscription model could work too.

I really like the stories on this app, and found them to be a good level- not too difficult like some other graded readers I've tried. Really like the way you can turn the furigana on or off and listen to the stories too. Only criticism is that when you minimise the app to check a word in the dictionary, when you reopen the app you're back at the start. Otherwise great. Love White Rabbit Press' kanji flashcards too by the way!

What's new

- Bug fixes