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 88 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.
88stories88narrated with audio~2min average read
Listen to the opening雪女が通った後の足跡
▶ NarratedA01 minMyths & Legends
雪女が通った後の足跡
Open with podcast modeListen straight through — a narration playlist
- 雪女が通った後の足跡A0 · 1m
- となりの席の子が泣いた理由A0 · 1m
- 終電に乗り遅れた夜A0 · 1m
- 転校する日に渡せなかった手紙A0 · 1m
- おばあちゃんだけが知る味噌汁の秘密A0 · 1m
- 初詣で引いた大凶のおみくじ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 audioMyths & Legends
雪女が通った後の足跡
A boy finds mysterious footprints in the snow and discovers a beautiful snow woman.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
となりの席の子が泣いた理由
A student helps their classmate who has lost their eraser.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
終電に乗り遅れた夜
A story about Ken finding his way to a hotel after missing the last train.
A01 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.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Food & Cuisine
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.
A01 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.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Nature & Adventure
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.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Culture & Travel
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.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
History
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.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Music & Arts
絵の具が一色だけ足りなかった日
A student discovers that one color of paint is missing while painting flowers and asks their teacher for help.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
毎朝、石段に置かれる飴一粒
A young girl named Yui wonders about a mysterious piece of red candy that appears on the old stone steps every morning.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Sports
跳び箱を跳べなかった最後の体育の授業
This is a story about a girl named Yui who faces a challenge during her physical education class.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Sports
チームで一番遅いランナーがもらったバトン
A story about a girl named Miku who overcomes her worries to finish a relay race with the help of her supportive team.
A01 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
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
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
Daily Life
隣の席の人が落とした手帳
A person on a train finds a dropped notebook that contains a surprising drawing.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Sports
最後の夏に補欠だった少年
A determined substitute baseball player gets a final chance to prove himself during the last game of his middle school summer.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Food & Cuisine
閉店日の駄菓子屋に残った最後の飴
An elderly woman gives away the last piece of candy in her sweet shop on its final day of operation.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
隣の席の人が毎日置いていく折り鶴
A story about a woman who finds beautiful origami cranes on her desk every morning.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
新学期に誰も名前を書かなかった下駄箱
A girl named Hana finds her own school shoe locker on the first day of a new semester.
A11 min listenNarratedQuiz
Sports
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.
A21 min listenNarratedQuiz
Listening practice by level
Japanese StoriesA0 Japanese listening
View all →雪女が通った後の足跡
A boy finds mysterious footprints in the snow and discovers a beautiful snow woman.
となりの席の子が泣いた理由
A student helps their classmate who has lost their eraser.
終電に乗り遅れた夜
A story about Ken finding his way to a hotel after missing the last train.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A1 Japanese listening
View all →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.
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.
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.
隣の席の人が落とした手帳
A person on a train finds a dropped notebook that contains a surprising drawing.
最後の夏に補欠だった少年
A determined substitute baseball player gets a final chance to prove himself during the last game of his middle school summer.
閉店日の駄菓子屋に残った最後の飴
An elderly woman gives away the last piece of candy in her sweet shop on its final day of operation.
A2 Japanese listening
View all →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.
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.
知床で熊と目が合った朝
A traveler experiences a tense but profound encounter with a brown bear while trying to photograph a sunrise in Shiretoko.
築地の最後の競り
This story recounts a father's emotional final day at the historic Tsukiji fish market.
二十年ぶりの手紙
A story about a woman who receives an unexpected letter from her long-lost best friend after twenty years.
江戸の刀鍛冶が守った秘密
A legendary swordsmith protects a mysterious secret regarding the quality of his blades, eventually entrusting it to his dedicated apprentice.
廃校の黒板に残された名前
A girl named Yuki finds her grandmother's name written on a blackboard in an abandoned school, leading to a touching discovery about a long-lost promise.
深夜の銭湯で会った老人
A lonely young man working in Tokyo finds comfort and a new perspective after meeting an elderly man at a local public bath.
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?
Every story here includes free native-speaker audio with the full text. Listen while reading, then listen again without the text to train your ear — no sign-up.
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.