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Japanese Texts Using 〜なければならない (must / have to)

17 free Japanese reading texts that use the N4 grammar point 〜なければならない (must / have to), graded beginner to advanced. Furigana on every word, tap-to-look-up, and an English vocabulary & grammar breakdown on each text.

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飴だま cover Read 飴だま The Candy Drop 新美 南吉 2 min read · Short Story ねずみの冒険 cover Read ねずみの冒険 The Mouse's Adventure 小川 未明 4 min read · Short Story あひるさん　と　にはとりさん cover Read あひるさん　と　にはとりさん Mr. Duck and Mr. Chicken 村山 籌子 6 min read · Short Story 二つの手紙 cover Read 二つの手紙 Two Letters 芥川 竜之介 24 min read · Short Story 人工衛星へ汲取舟が行く話 cover Read 人工衛星へ汲取舟が行く話 The Tale of the Honey Bucket Going to an Artificial Satellite 中谷 宇吉郎 1 min read · Article 大望をいだく河童 cover Read 大望をいだく河童 A Kappa with Great Ambitions 坂口 安吾 2 min read · Article 狐のつかい cover Read 狐のつかい The Fox's Errand 新美 南吉 2 min read · Short Story 天国へいった仕立屋さん cover Read 天国へいった仕立屋さん The Tailor Who Went to Heaven グリム ヤーコプ・ルートヴィッヒ・カール 5 min read · Short Story ねことおしるこ cover Read ねことおしるこ The Cat and the Sweet Red Bean Soup 小川 未明 3 min read · Short Story 寝ぼけ cover Read 寝ぼけ Sleepyhead 夢野 久作 2 min read · Short Story 親孝行 cover Read 親孝行 Filial Piety 牧野 信一 6 min read · Short Story 壊れたバリコン cover Read 壊れたバリコン The Broken Variable Capacitor 海野 十三 22 min read · Short Story 名勝地帯 cover Read 名勝地帯 Scenic Zone 黒島 伝治 3 min read · Short Story 幻聴 cover Read 幻聴 Auditory Hallucination 蘭 郁二郎 3 min read · Short Story 指 cover Read 指 The Finger 佐左木 俊郎 5 min read · Short Story 総理大臣が貰つた手紙の話 cover Read 総理大臣が貰つた手紙の話 The Story of the Letter Received by the Prime Minister 坂口 安吾 17 min read · Short Story 小夜の中山夜啼石 cover Read 小夜の中山夜啼石 The Night-Crying Stone of Sayo no Nakayama 岡本 綺堂 12 min read · Short Story

解説かいせつBackground

About the grammar point 〜なければならない

〜なければならない (must / have to) is a N4 grammar point. This shelf collects 17 free Japanese texts that use 〜なければならない in real context — graded from beginner to advanced, with furigana above every kanji — so you meet the pattern in living sentences instead of an isolated textbook example.

Every read on Yomimaru pairs the Japanese with an English study layer — key vocabulary, the grammar it uses, and a short comprehension check — plus tap-to-look-up on any word. Seeing 〜なければならない across many stories is one of the fastest ways to turn a memorised rule into something you recognise on sight.

質問しつもんQuestions

〜なければならない: questions & answers

What does 〜なければならない mean?

〜なければならない (must / have to) is a N4-level Japanese grammar point. The 17 texts on this shelf show it used naturally, each with an English breakdown so you can see exactly how it works in a sentence.

What JLPT level is 〜なければならない?

〜なければならない is typically introduced around JLPT N4. The reading texts here span several JLPT levels, so you can practise the pattern at, below, or slightly above your current level.

How can I practise 〜なければならない by reading?

Read a text from this shelf a little above your comfort level, lean on the furigana and instant lookups to stay in the story, then review how 〜なければならない was used afterwards. Free to read in full — a free account adds saved progress and AI study tools.