The free library for reading Japanese

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文庫 ぶんこ About the library

What is Yomibunko?

Yomibunko is Yomimaru's free library for reading Japanese: 379 graded texts from Beginner to JLPT N1, each labelled with one level. Most are public-domain stories and essays from Aozora Bunko, and 22 are originals written by Yomimaru. Every text has a free page, and a free account (no credit card) opens the full text with furigana and a tap-to-look-up dictionary.

What's in the library?

357 of the 379 texts are public-domain Japanese writing from Aozora Bunko, the volunteer-run digital library of Japanese literature: short stories, folktales, essays and articles by writers such as Akutagawa Ryūnosuke and Niimi Nankichi. The other 22 are Yomimaru originals.

89 texts are 400 words or shorter, and the median text is about 870 words long.

Every text carries one JLPT level, and each level has a page of its own:

LevelTextsLevel page
Beginner10Easy Japanese Reading for Beginners
N514JLPT N5 Japanese Reading Practice
N431JLPT N4 Japanese Reading Practice
N380JLPT N3 Japanese Reading Practice
N274JLPT N2 Japanese Reading Practice
N1170JLPT N1 Japanese Reading Practice

Browse by topic

The same texts are grouped by topic too, one page per topic:

How is a text's JLPT level decided?

Every level is computed from the text itself, then checked. Yomimaru splits each text into words and matches every word to its dictionary entry. Most everyday words carry a JLPT level there, taken from the vocabulary lists learners use, since the JLPT itself publishes no official word list. From that match, Yomimaru measures the text: the share of its words at each level from N5 to N1, the level of its kanji, how dense the kanji are, how long its sentences are, and the level of the grammar points it uses. Those figures give a computed level. A final AI review then reads the text alongside the figures, to catch what counting alone misses. When the two disagree, a person reviews the text and sets the level.

What do you get when you open a text?

Every text has its own page that anyone can open, with a sample of the Japanese text. For 353 of them, the page adds a study breakdown of the text's vocabulary and grammar.

Reading the full text takes a free Yomimaru account, and no credit card. In the reader you can show furigana over the kanji, and a tap on any word gives its reading and meaning.

Questions about the library

Is Yomibunko free?

Yes. All 379 texts are free to read, and none of them is kept for a paid plan. Reading a full text takes a free account, with no credit card.

Do I need an account to read?

Not to browse: each text's page and its Japanese sample are open to anyone. The full text opens in Yomimaru's reader, which needs a free account so it can keep your place in each text.

Which JLPT levels does the library cover?

Six shelves, from Beginner to JLPT N1. Beginner is for learners who have just learned hiragana and katakana, and sits below N5. N5, N4, N3, N2 and N1 are the levels of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

Does Yomimaru write its own stories?

Yes. 22 texts are originals Yomimaru wrote for the Beginner and N5 shelves, each one written inside that level's vocabulary and grammar. The other 357 come from Aozora Bunko.

Which level should I start at?

If you can't read hiragana and katakana yet, start with Yomikana, Yomimaru's free kana course, then the Beginner shelf. If you can, open the shelf of the JLPT level you are studying for, and go down one level when a text's first lines feel too hard.

Where to go next

Editor's picks

Grammar by JLPT level