Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 7: The Little Match Girl

This volume is a little different from the rest of the series. Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl is not a Japanese folktale at all. It is Danish, first published in 1845, but it has been loved in Japan for well over a century, and generations of Japanese children have grown up with it. That makes it a wonderful way to study: you may already know the story, so your mind is free to follow the Japanese.
It is New Year's Eve, bitterly cold, and a barefoot girl is still out in the streets trying to sell her matches. Andersen never softened his endings, and he does not soften this one. It is short, it is beautiful, and it stays with you.
The story is taught in six passes, so your understanding builds one layer at a time:Story introduction: a short English preview so you know where you're headedVocabulary: key words in Japanese, then English, with room to repeat after a native speakerLine-by-line: each sentence broken into short phrases with English meanings, then rebuiltNormal speed: the story at natural pace, to hear how much more you catch nowComprehension questions: answer out loud, then hear a model answerEnglish version: the whole story in English to confirm you understood it
Japanese narration by native speaker Yumi Boutwell, with English explanations by Megumi Boutwell. Learn Japanese with Stories has been helping people learn Japanese since 2002.
No textbook needed: press play in the car or on a walk and let the repetition do the work. For upper beginners (JLPT N5 to N4) ready to move past word lists into real Japanese. Includes a companion PDF with the Japanese text and vocabulary.