Learn Japanese with Stories 14 - Kicchomu

Clay & Yumi Boutwell · Makoto Press

Upper Beginner JLPT N5–N4 Read it in the app

Kicchomu of Kyushu catches a falling star and sells crows to the gullible.

Kicchomu is the trickster of the old Bungo province, and these two stories show his method: he catches a falling star, and he sells crows to people who should know better. The gentlest vocabulary load in the whole collection, which makes it a good first folktale.

Buy the paperback on Amazon Digital edition at The Japan Shop

Is this the right level for you?

Upper Beginner · JLPT N5–N4. Short sentences, small kanji range. Where to start if you've finished a first textbook.

Every level on this site was measured from the book's own Japanese rather than assigned by feel. The numbers below are what the measurement saw, so you can judge the fit yourself instead of taking our word for it.

Distinct kanji: 83
Kanji density: 15.6%
Average sentence: 18.4
N5–N3 vocabulary: 77.9%
Pages: 99

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What is in the book

Furigana over every kanji, so nothing stops you mid-sentence.
Native audio at two speeds — slow to follow along, natural to test yourself.
Line-by-line vocabulary with the readings and the grammar notes in place.
A full English version, close enough to the Japanese to decode it with.
Readable in the Makoto+ Sentence Explorer, tap any sentence for a breakdown.

The rest of the Learn Japanese with Stories series

Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 1: Hikoichi

Learn Japanese with Stories #2: Momotaro

Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 3: The Inch-High Samurai

Japanese Reader Collection Volume 4: The Mouse Bride

Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 5: The Cut-Tongue Sparrow

Japanese Reader Collection 06 - Yuki Onna

Others at this level

Frank and the Obaasan - Volume 2

Where to buy

Buy the paperback on Amazon Digital edition at The Japan Shop

Clay & Yumi Boutwell are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, which means we may receive a commission when you buy a book through a link on this page. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not affect which books we recommend or where we place them on the levels.