Easy Japanese News with Furigana

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新聞 しんぶん About Yominews

What is Yominews?

Yominews is Yomimaru's free easy-Japanese news: real news stories rewritten for learners at JLPT N4, N3 and N1, with furigana over the kanji and an English summary. 30 stories were published in the last 30 days, and each one links the reporting it is based on.

How is a story made?

Yominews stories are original Japanese adaptations of credited reporting, written with AI assistance at several JLPT levels and reviewed by a person before they are published.

Each story starts from reports that news outlets have already published. Yomimaru writes a new Japanese text from them for each level it covers, and simplifies the language, never the facts. The N4 text keeps to everyday words and short sentences, and the N1 text keeps the register of native news writing. The story page lists the sources it drew on, with links, so you can read the original reporting.

Read how Yominews works

Which JLPT levels can you read?

Stories are written at N4, N3 and N1, and a story page has a tab for each level it has. N5 and N2 have no text of their own yet, so their pages show the nearest level written:

LevelWhat the page showsLevel page
JLPT N5 (Beginner)The N4 text of each story, the nearest level writtenEasy Japanese News for JLPT N5 (with furigana)
JLPT N4 (Elementary)38 stories written at N4Easy Japanese News for JLPT N4 (with furigana)
JLPT N3 (Intermediate)38 stories written at N3Easy Japanese News for JLPT N3 (with furigana)
JLPT N2 (Advanced)The N3 text of each story, the nearest level writtenEasy Japanese News for JLPT N2 (with furigana)
JLPT N1 (Native)37 stories written at N1Easy Japanese News for JLPT N1 (with furigana)

Where do the stories come from?

Recent stories draw on reporting from outlets such as The Asahi Shimbun, NHK, The Yomiuri Shimbun and The Mainichi.

Stories come from three desks: Japan Now (日本のいま) for what Japan is talking about this week, Curiosity (気になる) for the surprising and the only-in-Japan, and Life & Culture (日本のくらし) for how everyday life in Japan works.

30 stories were published in the last 30 days, about 7 a week. New stories appear when there is news worth reading, not on a fixed daily quota, and older ones stay in the archive.

Browse by topic

Stories are grouped by topic too, one page per topic:

What does a story page give you?

Every story has a free page of its own, with a tab for each level it was written at. The Japanese text carries furigana over the kanji, and a tap on a word shows its reading and meaning. An English summary of the story comes first.

Reading needs no account. After a story or two, the page suggests a free Yomimaru account, and you can close it and keep reading. With the account you can save words to review and read the story in the Yomimaru app.

Questions about Yominews

Is Yominews free? Do I need an account?

Yominews is free to read, and you do not need an account. After a story or two, the page suggests a free Yomimaru account, which you can close to keep reading. The account is free too, and saves words for review.

Which JLPT levels does Yominews cover?

Stories are written at JLPT N4, N3 and N1, and a story page has a tab for each level it has. The N5 page shows the N4 text and the N2 page shows the N3 text, the nearest level written.

Is the news real?

Yes. Every story is based on reports that news outlets have already published, and its page links them. Yomimaru rewrites the language for learners and keeps the facts of the original reporting.

How is Yominews different from other easy Japanese news?

NHK News Web Easy rewrites NHK reports in one easy style. Yominews adapts reporting from several outlets at more than one JLPT level, and adds an English summary to every story.

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How often are new stories published?

About 7 a week: 30 stories in the last 30 days. A story is published when there is news worth reading, not on a fixed daily quota.

Where to go next

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