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The Best 4 E-book Sites for Free Japanese Books

person holding an ereader in grass

The only thing better than curling up with a cup of tea and a good book on a cozy weekend afternoon is probably getting free stuff. And you can easily combine the two with the free e-book sites below.

With these resources—some of which are focused specifically on Japanese titles—you can build a massive digital bookshelf to explore every weekend of the year without ever spending a penny.

1. Honto

Looking for light reads in Japanese? This resource tends more toward manga and short stories than heavy literature, so it’s a good place to start.

Since the books on this site aren’t region-restricted, as they can be on Amazon, you’ll be able to get the exact same titles as a person in Japan would. Often, you can get them on the same day.

You can find Honto’s free e-books here. Below are some popular titles to explore (however, note that the selection of free books is updated regularly, so different titles may be offered at different times):

Just be aware that if you share devices with underage users, this site does have its fair share material that is not appropriate for minors. So with Honto you may want to figure out the parental controls on your device.

2. Aozora Bunko

This site is similar to Honto but with a larger Japanese library. Aozora Bunko has works in progress as well, so you can enjoy current works from living authors.

The site is a little hard to navigate at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.

Two popular titles include:

Both are collections of short stories that have been carefully edited for both language and cultural accuracy. The topics range from marriage and family to traditional culture.

3. Project Gutenburg

Project Gutenburg is a well-known database for free e-books. It has a fair-sized Japanese page, with more than 50 books to read.

Since the site is a kind of open archive of the world’s public domain literature, it’s always free. On the flip side, you won’t likely find too many modern books here. So if you’re mainly interested in exploring Japanese history, culture and classic writings, this is a great resource.

Titles are usually available in ePub or Kindle’s native format. Sometimes you can find audiobooks as well.

Some top picks include:

4. Kindle Store

The Japanese e-books in the Kindle store are region-locked, so you won’t get the full Japan experience. However, you’ll find some great novel-length reads if you’re looking for something longer.

Just be aware that since the Kindle store ranks titles by popularity, there are also some smutty options on the main page. Be careful with little ones who share your Kindle.

Some top Kindle store options right now include:

If you enjoy this type of authentic but digitized learning, you could supplement your Japanese reading with other tools like FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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In the end, you should focus on the books that are of the most interest to you. Don’t just read what’s popular. Read what makes you happy!

Just be sure that you’re challenging yourself as you go. You might start out with basic fantasy manga, then as your ability progresses move to short stories. After that you might be able to move up to a translation of your favorite novel. From there, why not move to an authentic Japanese novel?

You’ll find that when you read what you like, things go more quickly and you get more out of the material. After all, no one said that your study time couldn’t also be your fun time!

And One More Thing...

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

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FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

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All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

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And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

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The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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