Hole in the Wall
Friendship comes in many shapes and sizes.
The narrator explains his living arrangements.
Notes: This episode contains great vocabulary and notes, such as the way to speak of your stomach growling, an adverb that refers to "careful/quiet/gentle" action, and a note about a use of mo to indicate an amount that the speaker finds noteworthy.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty |  |
| Standard | Unread | 3.1(928 votes) |
The narrator's family experiences growing pains.
Notes: This episode contains lots of great vocabulary, such as words that mean "literally" and "at the risk of one's life," as well as a note about the style of narration in this story.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.1(422 votes) |
Pro
The narrator explains more about his current home.
Notes: This episode contains excellent vocabulary and cultural notes related to traditional Japanese homes.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(173 votes) |
Pro
The home of the narrator is situated near a convenient source of food.
Notes: This episode contains wonderful vocabulary, such as the word for "to come to light (of secrets, etc)," plus several cultural notes.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(149 votes) |
Pro
With some encouragement from her mother, Kumiko performs a morning routine.
Notes: This episode contains vocabulary useful in a traditional Japanese home, such as "incense sticks," as well as notes on the verb gaman suru and a special use of nani wo.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(132 votes) |
Pro
The narrator describes a part of Kumiko's morning routine and the impact it has on his family.
Notes: This episode contains more vocabulary for items found in a traditional Japanese home, a review of a word that indicates the speaker is imagining what happens in another place or time, and a step-by-step breakdown of a potentially tricky sentence.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(116 votes) |
Pro
With the coast clear, the narrator checks out the day's spoils and gets an exciting surprise.
Notes: This episode contains lots of good food-related vocabulary, plus several extended notes, such as one on a variation of the "it's no good if " pattern.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(109 votes) |
Pro
Kumiko and the mouse get their first good look at one another.
Notes: This episode features surprisingly useful vocabulary, such as a word that means "to hold in one's mouth," as well as a reminder about the no that stands in for another noun and a note on a use of toki that means "in such a case."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.0(102 votes) |
Pro
The narrator relates his recent encounter to his family.
Notes: This episode contains vocabulary such as words for "pale (of faces)" and "in an instant," plus a note on names.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.7(110 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya and Kumiko make a connection.
Notes: This episode contains fun vocabulary, such as a word that means "to twitch" and one that means "a bite (of food)."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(97 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya reports his recent interactions, but his father has reservations.
Notes: This episode should feel straightforward, containing mostly vocabulary that we've seen before in this series, as well as another example of the accusatory nani wo that we met in Episode 5.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.7(87 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya is excited to bring home Kumiko's gift.
Notes: This article demonstrates fun expressions like "to puff out one's chest with pride" and "to put in an appearance."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.6(81 votes) |
Pro
The family reacts in different ways to the unusual breakfast.
Notes: This episode contains notes on several words that can feel a little hard to get your mind around, such as one that means "to let your guard down" and another that means "I earnestly and repeatedly entreat you."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(81 votes) |
Pro
Excited by his new friendship, Chuuya looks forward to seeing Kumiko again.
Notes: This episode is a trove of mimetic words, including ones that mean "grinning," "gleaming," "smooth," and "with trepidation," along with a few notes to help you understand and remember them.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(70 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya explains to Kumiko what their friendship has meant.
Notes: This episode contains notes on bakari occurring within a progressive, and a reminder about how to understand the word nanika when it is used as an adverb.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(70 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya remembers a conversation with his grandfather.
Notes: This article contains interesting grammar points, such as "masculine assertion" sa and a variation on the copula used by old men in fairy tales.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(72 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya's mother recalls a conversation with Grandpa regarding the strange breakfast item.
Notes: This episode contains useful vocabulary, such as an expression that literally means "making one's neck long = craning one's neck" in anticipation, and a discussion of the difference between two words that mean "content/contents."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(68 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya's realizes that he is in a special position.
Notes: This episode illustrates an alternative way of admitting fault, as well as a vocabulary word that means "to interact with" someone.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(62 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya is eager to know how he can repay Kumiko.
Notes: This episode contains two very extensive notes.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(58 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya makes a momentous decision.
Notes: This episode contains great expressions, such as "to float up into one's head" and "entrust it to me!" plus friendly notes and breakdowns, as always.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(54 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya and Kumiko hammer out the details of their plan.
Notes: This episode contains a note on using -tari with only a single clause.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.7(49 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya has a difficult conversation.
Notes: This episode contains a few words that might be new, like one that means "fist" and a humorous expression for getting in trouble (if you're not the one in hot water!).
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(51 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya's father offers feedback about the plan.
Notes: This episode contains a note about a contraction for negative verbs.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(50 votes) |
Pro
As he takes in his father's concerns, Chuuya feels various emotions.
Notes: This episode contains fun vocabulary, such as the name of a children's game that involves staring and a word that means "to speak very quickly and one-sidedly."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.2(49 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya's father reflects on the changing times.
Notes: This episode contains great vocabulary such as the words for "generation," "the times," and more.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(49 votes) |
Pro
Kumiko prepares for her big day as her mother worries over her.
Notes: This fun episode contains notes on aspects of school life in Japan, and a simple pattern whose meaning might surprise you.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(40 votes) |
Pro
It's showtime as Chuuya and Kumiko near the school.
Notes: This episode contains a note on two words that relate to two kinds of behavior common to schools.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(38 votes) |
Pro
Something happens at lunchtime.
Notes: This episode has several useful notes, such as one that takes apart an instance of the -te morau pattern and another that explains a pattern for expanding a verb into two parts so as to insert wa or mo between them.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(38 votes) |
Pro
Kumiko and Chuuya share lunch.
Notes: This episode contains an explanation of a pattern that we saw in the previous episode as well, which means that an action nearly happened.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.8(34 votes) |
Pro
Two boys make trouble for Kumiko.
Notes: This episode illustrates two ways to make adjectives more emphatic.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 3.1(30 votes) |
Pro
A grateful but concerned Kumiko and an inquisitive Chuuya debrief..
Notes: This episode illustrates a secondary use of the verb chuui suru that might be new to you.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.6(25 votes) |
Pro
Chuuya carefully observes the other children during recess.
Notes: This episode provides an in-depth look at how to use the word nakama-hazure.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(24 votes) |
Pro
During recess, Chuuya muses over what the boys said and what it might mean for him and Kumiko.
Notes: This episode contains a suffix that can be used to create words like "movie-lover."
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.9(20 votes) |
Pro
At the afternoon wrap-up meeting, Kumiko's teacher brings up the topic of the missing shoes.
Notes: This episode contains interesting notes about how to talk about school periods, plus the structure of a typical school day.
| Editions | Status | Difficulty | |
| Standard | Unread | 2.6(14 votes) |