ねこのさんぽ

ねこは　もりに　いきました。
そらは　あおいです。
ひは　あかるいです。

ねこは　はっぱの　うえを　あるきます。
とりが　「ぴーぴー」と　なきます。
ねこは　うれしいです。

ねこは　ちいさな　みずたまりを　みます。
「じゃぶん！」と　とびこみます。
みずは　つめたいです。

ねこは　おうちに　かえります。
あたたかい　ねこぶくろで　ねむります

Neko wa mori ni ikimashita.

Sora wa aoi desu.
Hi wa akarui desu.

Neko wa happa no ue o arukimasu.
Tori ga “pī pī” to nakimasu.
Neko wa ureshii desu.

Neko wa chiisana mizutamari o mimasu.
“Jabun!” to tobikomimasu.
Mizu wa tsumetai desu.

Neko wa ouchi ni kaerimasu.
Atatakai nekobukuro de nemurimasu.

The Cat’s Walk

The cat went to the forest.
The sky is blue.
The sun is bright.

The cat walks on the leaves.
The birds go “pee pee.”
The cat is happy.

The cat sees a small puddle.
“Splash!” and jumps in.
The water is cold.

The cat goes home.
It sleeps in a warm cat bed.

How Reading a Short Story Helps Learn Japanese

Reading a short Japanese story can be an incredibly effective way for beginners to improve their language skills. Simple, everyday words like ねこ (neko – cat), もり (mori – forest), そら (sora – sky), ひ (hi – sun), はっぱ (happa – leaf), and みずたまり (mizutamari – puddle) appear in context, which helps learners understand and remember them more easily than memorizing isolated word lists. The story also introduces basic sentence structures, such as “[Subject] は [Place/Thing] に いきます” (“The cat went to the forest”) and “[Subject] は [Adjective] です” (“The sky is blue”), giving beginners repeated exposure to natural ways of forming sentences.

Reading short sentences written in hiragana improves both reading speed and pronunciation, while using romaji alongside hiragana makes recognizing sounds easier. By seeing words and grammar used in context, learners gain a more intuitive understanding of meaning, which is far more effective than rote memorization. Finally, short and cute stories make learning enjoyable, and the sense of accomplishment from finishing a story motivates learners to continue studying.