Listen with the text
First read along while you listen. Matching sounds to written words trains your ear to break the stream of Japanese into real words.
Japanese Listening Practice
Japanese Listening Practice
Train your ear with 128 Japanese stories narrated by native speakers — every one shown with the full text so you can listen and read along. From slow, clear A0 narration to natural-speed B2, this is graded listening practice that grows with you, with key vocabulary and comprehension quizzes built in.
128stories128narrated with audio~2min average read
Listen to the openingA Friend Comes
▶ NarratedA01 minCulture & Travel
A Friend Comes
Open with podcast modeListen straight through — a narration playlist
- A Friend ComesA0 · 1m
- A Red PictureA0 · 1m
- Father's CupA0 · 1m
- The Dog and the AppleA0 · 1m
- The Red BagA0 · 1m
- Where Is the Book?A0 · 1m
How to practice Japanese listening
Listening grows fastest when you pair audio with text and then gradually take the text away.
Listen without looking
Play the audio again with your eyes off the screen. See how much you can follow by ear alone — the real workout.
Shadow the narrator
Replay short sections and repeat out loud right after the narrator, copying rhythm and intonation. Shadowing builds listening and speaking at once.
Move up in speed
Start with slow A0–A1 narration, then climb toward natural-speed B1–B2 audio as your ear adjusts.
Narrated stories to listen to
All with native-speaker audioCulture & Travel
A Friend Comes
A story about a friend who comes to a home and drinks water.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Music & Arts
A Red Picture
A child wants a red picture, and the mother gives it to the child.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
Father's Cup
A child gives a blue cup to their father.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Nature & Adventure
The Dog and the Apple
A story about a child giving an apple to a dog.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Red Bag
A story about a girl moving a bag off a chair and sitting down.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
Where Is the Book?
A story about a person looking for a book.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Myths & Legends
The Big Cat
A story about a child giving milk to a big cat.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
A Blue Bag
A story about a child who gets a blue bag from their mother.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
Mother's Apple
A child asks their mother for a red apple.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Sports
Takes the Ball
A story about a child receiving a red ball from a friend.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Dog and the Bread
A dog eats bread at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
A Cup of Water
A child asks their mother for a cup of water.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
Cat and Ball
A child gives a red ball to a cat at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
History
A Small Book
A story about a child and a small book in a room.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Food & Cuisine
Bread and Milk
A child eats bread and drinks milk at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Myths & Legends
Footprints Left After the Snow Woman Passed
A boy finds mysterious footprints in the snow and discovers a beautiful snow woman.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Nature & Adventure
奄美大島の夜に光るサンゴ
A story about a person named Kei who discovers beautiful glowing corals in the sea during a quiet night on Amami Oshima.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Night I Missed the Last Train
A story about Ken finding his way to a hotel after missing the last train.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Culture & Travel
縁日で売れ残った金魚
A story about a kind goldfish vendor who cares for the fish left behind at a summer festival.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
転校する日に渡せなかった手紙
A story about a girl named Yui who wants to give a letter to her friend Ken on his last day at school.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Myths & Legends
沼の河童と禁じられた石
A young boy named Kenji discovers a mysterious glowing stone in a swamp guarded by a kappa.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Music & Arts
発表会の前夜に消えた楽譜
A story about a young girl named Yui who loses her piano sheet music the night before her recital.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
駅に残された傘
A heartwarming story about an umbrella left at a train station and the kindness of an elderly woman.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Culture & Travel
初詣で引いた大凶のおみくじ
A story about a girl named Yuki who draws an unlucky fortune at a shrine during the New Year.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Listening practice by level
Japanese StoriesA0 Japanese listening
View all →A Friend Comes
A story about a friend who comes to a home and drinks water.
A Red Picture
A child wants a red picture, and the mother gives it to the child.
Father's Cup
A child gives a blue cup to their father.
The Dog and the Apple
A story about a child giving an apple to a dog.
The Red Bag
A story about a girl moving a bag off a chair and sitting down.
Where Is the Book?
A story about a person looking for a book.
The Big Cat
A story about a child giving milk to a big cat.
A Blue Bag
A story about a child who gets a blue bag from their mother.
A1 Japanese listening
View all →Footprints Left After the Snow Woman Passed
A boy finds mysterious footprints in the snow and discovers a beautiful snow woman.
奄美大島の夜に光るサンゴ
A story about a person named Kei who discovers beautiful glowing corals in the sea during a quiet night on Amami Oshima.
The Night I Missed the Last Train
A story about Ken finding his way to a hotel after missing the last train.
縁日で売れ残った金魚
A story about a kind goldfish vendor who cares for the fish left behind at a summer festival.
転校する日に渡せなかった手紙
A story about a girl named Yui who wants to give a letter to her friend Ken on his last day at school.
沼の河童と禁じられた石
A young boy named Kenji discovers a mysterious glowing stone in a swamp guarded by a kappa.
発表会の前夜に消えた楽譜
A story about a young girl named Yui who loses her piano sheet music the night before her recital.
駅に残された傘
A heartwarming story about an umbrella left at a train station and the kindness of an elderly woman.
A2 Japanese listening
View all →
Why the Child in the Next Seat Cried
A student helps their classmate who has lost an eraser.
おばあちゃんだけが知る味噌汁の秘密
A grandchild visits their grandmother and discovers a secret ingredient in her delicious miso soup.
嵐の翌朝、海岸に現れた白い鳥
A boy finds a white bird on a quiet beach after a storm and helps it fly again.
七夕の夜に願いごとが書けなかった少女
A girl at the park on Tanabata night finds it hard to make a wish until her mother joins her.
全国大会の前日に折れた竹刀
A high school kendo student receives a special sword from his coach the night before an important tournament.
将軍が初めて食べたチョコレート
A story about a Japanese shogun who tries chocolate for the very first time.
コンクールで零点をつけられた演奏
A pianist named Misaki breaks the rules during a competition by playing her own song, leading to a life-changing encounter with a judge.
A Single Candy Left on the Stone Steps Every Morning
A young girl named Yui wonders about a mysterious piece of red candy that appears on the old stone steps every morning.
B1 Japanese listening
View all →
西郷隆盛の最後の朝食
A poignant story about Saigo Takamori's final morning before his last battle at Shiroyama.
甲子園の最後の一球
A young baseball player named Kenji faces the immense pressure of the final pitch at Koshien, finally understanding the weight of the experience his brother went through years ago.
八百年生きた尼が最後に選んだ洞窟
A story about an immortal woman who lived for eight hundred years and finally finds peace in the beauty of a simple flower.
屋久島の千年杉を守る男
A story about a dedicated guide in Yakushima who protects the island's ancient cedar trees and passes his passion on to the next generation.
京町家の最後の後継ぎ
A young woman named Haruka returns to her grandmother's traditional Kyoto house, only to discover the burden of its past and a difficult decision about its future.
葛飾北斎が諦めなかった波
A story about the legendary artist Hokusai and his relentless pursuit of perfection while creating his iconic wave masterpiece.
阿波踊りを七十年踊り続けた女師匠
A reporter travels to Tokushima to interview an 82-year-old master who has dedicated over seventy years of her life to the traditional Awa Odori dance.
閉店前夜に残された祖父の隠し味
A daughter finds her grandfather's secret recipe in a notebook just before her father closes their family ramen shop permanently.
B2 Japanese listening
View all →
戦後の闇市で生まれたソース焼きそば
A story about a young man in the aftermath of WWII who finds a way to bring hope and comfort to his community through a simple dish created from his father's leftover sauce.
黒船来航の前夜に書かれた手紙
A young man living in the final days of the Tokugawa Shogunate struggles to communicate the impending arrival of the Black Ships to his traditional father.
四十年間、故郷に帰らなかった父が残した通帳
A woman discovers a bank passbook left behind by her father, who had been estranged for forty years, revealing his silent devotion.
ゴミ置き場で見つかった三十年前の卒業アルバム
A woman discovers a mysterious graduation album in her apartment's trash area and decides to return it to the owner, leading to an unexpected moment of connection.
祇園祭の山鉾に眠る異国の布
A graduate student researching the Gion Festival discovers that the historic floats are decorated with unexpected foreign textiles, challenging her understanding of tradition.
競売にかけられた能面の裏に刻まれた名
A professional appraiser discovers a hidden name on the back of a Noh mask, leading to a touching encounter with the descendant of the true creator.
初演後に楽譜を焼いた作曲家
A story about a stoic composer who faces his hidden emotions after a performance and makes a life-changing decision regarding his musical work.
幻の東京五輪に選ばれた水泳選手の八年間
A story about a Japanese swimmer who overcomes the loss of his Olympic dream due to the Second World War.
Listen anywhere with the app
The Inklingo app lets you listen to narrated Japanese stories on the go, save the words you hear, and review them with spaced repetition so your listening keeps improving.
Japanese listening practice FAQ
How can I practice Japanese listening for free?
Start reading without an account. Guest translations are limited to 12 taps per day. A free account saves your progress and includes 5 completed stories; further access requires Pro.
What is the best way to improve Japanese listening?
Combine listening with reading at your level, then gradually drop the text. Listening to graded stories you mostly understand, and shadowing the narrator out loud, beats passive listening.
Is the audio slow enough for beginners?
Yes. A0 and A1 stories are narrated slowly and clearly, while B1 and B2 use more natural speed. Because the collection is graded, you can step up gradually.
Can I read along while listening?
Yes — every narrated story shows the full Japanese text alongside the audio, with tap-to-translate vocabulary.