{"id":106694,"date":"2023-12-23T17:10:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T22:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/japanese-audio-books\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T00:08:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T05:08:45","slug":"japanese-audio-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-audio-books\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Best Japanese Audiobooks for Language Learners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, written Japanese can seem like an entirely separate language from spoken Japanese, but reading skills and listening skills complement each other to a high degree.<\/p>\n

Luckily for learners, there’s an excellent way to develop both of these skills at the same time: studying with audiobooks. Get 15 diverse Japanese audiobooks<\/strong> in this post that can help you hone your listening skills.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

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Japanese Audiobooks for Beginners<\/h2>\n

“Learn Japanese – Word Power 101”<\/a>\"learn
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This free audiobook is a must-listen for beginners with little to no experience with Japanese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Besides the 101 Japanese words you’ll be learning, you’ll also learn practice phrases and example sentences to help with context.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Pimsleur Japanese Level 1”<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"Pimsleur-japenese-audiobook\"This well-reviewed textbook from Pimsleur is a great study aid for those who are already learning Japanese in a class<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lessons are split into 30-minute sections that focus on Japanese listening skills<\/strong> and conversation.<\/p>\n

It’s ideal for beginners, but Pimsleur offers other audiobooks for more advanced learners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Rapid Japanese”<\/a>\"earworms<\/h3>\n

Earworms mbt\u00ae Rapid Japanese puts the words and phrases you need not just on the tip of your tongue, it transports them deeply into your long-term memory, ready for instant recall.<\/p>\n

Simply listen to the music filled with rhythmic repetitions<\/strong> a few times and listeners will subconsciously acquire a collection of verbs, nouns and connecting words, all the while picking up the correct accent. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This is your survival kit of immediately useful words and phrases for your visit abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Librivox’s Multilingual Short Works Collection #4”<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"Author:\u00a0<\/strong>Various<\/p>\n

This option offers a variety of different short pieces, including poetry, prose, fiction and non-fiction<\/strong>. All the Japanese stories in this compilation are read by the same voice actor, who speaks slowly and clearly.<\/p>\n

Beginners can definitely benefit from this audiobook series.<\/p>\n

Japanese Audiobooks for Intermediate Learners<\/h2>\n

“The Spider’s Thread”<\/a>\u00a0(\u8718\u86db\u306e\u7cf8)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Ry\u016bnosuke Akutagawa<\/p>\n

“The Spider’s Thread” is a Buddhist-themed story<\/strong> that takes place in Heaven, Hell and the space in between.<\/p>\n

A vicious criminal gets an opportunity to escape from Hell, but for that he must overcome his own ego. Will he succeed?<\/p>\n

“Rash\u014dmon”<\/a>\u00a0(\u7f85\u751f\u9580)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Ry\u016bnosuke Akutagawa<\/p>\n

This is one of the most well-known of Akutagawa’s stories<\/strong>, which is set in a dilapidated medieval Kyoto<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A lone servant takes shelter from the rain in a ruined city gate, and discovers that he’s not alone there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“In a Grove”<\/a> (\u85ea\u306e\u4e2d)<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Ry\u016bnosuke Akutagawa\"\"<\/p>\n

A murder incident<\/strong> is described by several different witnesses, each of whom gives a conflicting account of the events.<\/p>\n

This is a very famous story, largely thanks to Kurosawa Akira’s film “Rash\u014dmon,” whose plot is a hybrid between this and the above-mentioned story.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Kokoro”<\/a>\u00a0(\u3053\u3053\u308d)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Natsume S\u014dseki<\/p>\n

Arguably Natsume’s most popular and most “Japanese” novel, “Kokoro” tells of a special relationship between a student and a mysterious older<\/strong> man who becomes a very unusual mentor to him.<\/p>\n

Despite being a long text, “Kokoro” is highly\u00a0suitable for studying purposes because it’s written in straightforward language and divided into 110 very short chapters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“Botchan”<\/a>\u00a0(\u574a\u3061\u3083\u3093)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Natsume S\u014dseki<\/p>\n

This sarcastic novel<\/strong> about a novice teacher from Tokyo who goes to a wacky school in the countryside is a great introduction to Japanese humor<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although harder to read than “Kokoro,” this is a highly recommended text if you’re an intermediate or above.<\/p>\n

“Ten Nights of Dreams”<\/a>\u00a0(\u5922\u5341\u591c)\u00a0\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Natsume S\u014dseki<\/p>\n

This is a cycle of 10 independent short stories<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Each story is self-contained and describes a different dream, and the texts<\/a> are the perfect gateway to Natsume’s work.<\/p>\n

Japanese Audiobooks for Advanced Learners<\/h2>\n

“The Boat on the Takase River”<\/a>\u00a0(\u9ad8\u702c\u821f)\u00a0\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Mori \u014cgai<\/p>\n

This story follows a boat that carries criminals<\/strong> from city to city.<\/p>\n

On this journey, there is a strange passenger that seems to be a bit too optimistic for a prisoner, and the police are intrigued to know his story.<\/p>\n

“The Restaurant of Many Orders”<\/a>\u00a0(\u6ce8\u6587\u306e\u591a\u3044\u6599\u7406\u5e97)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Kenji Miyazawa<\/p>\n

This story follows two hunters that become lost in the mountains<\/strong> and stumble upon a mysterious restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There, they encounter strange signs they must interpret and unexpected danger they must confront.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Red Candles and the Mermaid”<\/a>\u00a0(\u8d64\u3044\u308d\u3046\u305d\u304f\u3068\u4eba\u9b5a – \u5c0f\u5ddd \u672a\u660e)\"\"<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>Mimei Ogawa<\/p>\n

This beautiful poetic story tells the tale of a mermaid<\/strong> raised by an old human couple who makes money by selling candles.<\/p>\n

The mermaid paints beautiful artwork on the candles and the couple begins to make a lot of money.<\/p>\n

However, things take a turn for the worse when the couple decides to sell the young girl to a merchant.<\/p>\n

“Ikigai”<\/a> (\u751f\u304d\u7532\u6590)<\/h3>\n

Author: <\/strong>H\u00e9ctor Garc\u00eda and Francesc Miralles\"ikigai<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Ikigai<\/b><\/i><\/span> is the Japanese word for “a reason to live” or “a reason to jump out of bed in the morning”. It’s a Japanese concept describing that you have a purpose in this world, a place of balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This audiobook will help you find your ikigai and show you how you can change your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“A Book of Five Rings The Strategy of Musashi<\/a>” (\u4e94\u8f2a\u66f8)<\/h3>\n

\"aAuthor: <\/strong><\/span>Miyamoto Musashi<\/p>\n

The Book of Five Rings is a story about kenjutsu and the martial arts, written by the undefeated Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s a classic Japanese text where Musashi recorded\u00a0his “true principles” which guarantee victory in martial arts and on the battlefield.<\/p>\n

How to Find Quality Japanese Audiobooks Online<\/h2>\n

The best keyword to search for if you’re looking for great Japanese audiobooks is \u6717\u8aad (\u308d\u3046\u3069\u304f) or “reading aloud.”<\/strong> Or you can do a simple search with the title of a popular text and the keyword \u6717\u8aad <\/strong>to find versions of it being read aloud on YouTube or other websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For easy browsing, here are some great websites where you can find Japanese audiobooks:<\/p>\n