# Tadoku > Tadoku publishes free web readers and paid print graded Japanese books. How to pick a free title versus a print set, and where audio and notes differ. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tadoku Last updated: 2026-10-27 Graded readers for extensive reading. Start with one free book you will finish. Print packs are for a physical stack, not a second unread library. Published: 2026-08-14 6 min read beginner · intermediate · freemium · easy · Reading · Web, Print [Visit Tadoku](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/tadoku) ## Key facts | Fact | Details | | --- | --- | | Best for | Learners who will finish a short book | | Avoid if | You only want notes on every line | | Pricing | Free digital library; paid print sets from publishers and the NPO shop | | Platform | Web, Print | | Ease of use | easy | ## Pros - Learners who will finish a short book - People who want easier Japanese than news - Readers building a daily page habit ## Cons - You only want notes on every line - You will download the library and never open it - You needed a daily news article more than a story Tadoku (extensive reading) is short Japanese you mostly understand, read in volume. NPO Tadoku Supporters publish a [free digital library](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/free-books-en/) and point to paid print graded-reader packs. The method is simple: finish easy books. Do not collect files. ## Who it fits It fits someone who will finish a booklet this week. The English how-to page, checked 27 Oct 2026, tells you to start with extremely easy, pictured books, skip unknown bits, and drop a book that is not enjoyable. You can start if you know some hiragana. The same page says entire-book audio exists when you do not. That is not a universal kana wall, and it is not a promise that every free title includes audio. ## Free library versus print Start on the free library if you have not finished a Japanese book yet. The free-books page lets you read in the browser, download a PDF, print a booklet, or watch a YouTube version when one is listed. Filter by level, then check each title for an audio or YouTube label. Audio is a per-title feature, so open the book page before choosing a listen-and-read session. Buy print when you want a physical stack you will actually open. The graded-readers page lists ASK packs (levels 0 to 4, sold as packs), Taishukan packs (levels 0 to 5), and nine NPO *Nihongo Tadoku Books* sold individually or as a set. Those print series are described with furigana, pictures, and audio as CD or mp3. The NPO order page sells only its nine books. ASK and Taishukan packs are bought elsewhere. ASK's line also has its own profile at [Japanese Graded Readers](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/japanese-graded-readers). Do not buy both as a first step. If a browser reader fails to open, check that title's page for a PDF download or try another book. A problem with one reader does not establish that the whole library is unavailable. ## Limits These are not annotated like [Satori Reader](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/satori-reader). Lookup is on you, and the method asks you not to stop for a dictionary. If a daily news article is more realistic, [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) may be the better habit. If you already finish easy books and need a native title, [Natively](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/natively) grades books and shows by community comparison. It is not a reader. ## How to test it Use a first session to choose a book you can follow, rather than to prove your level. 1. Open the free library and select Level Start or Level 0. Tadoku's [level guide](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/levels-en/) describes Level Start as suitable for absolute beginners using illustrations and audio; Level 0 is the starter level. Choose by how easily you follow the story, not only by a JLPT label. 2. If you need a concrete starting point, [this Level Start story about a dog looking for its ball](https://tadoku.org/japanese/book/39479/) has furigana and audio. Its official page offers a browser reader, a reading PDF, a print PDF and an MP3. Those options belong to this title; do not assume every free book has them. 3. Look at the pictures, listen if useful, and read without stopping for every unknown word. If you cannot follow the story even with its pictures, choose another easy book. Tadoku's rule is to leave a book that is too hard or uninteresting. 4. If you finish and enjoy it, choose a second book at the same level. If you want detailed sentence explanations instead, use an annotated reader such as [Satori Reader](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/satori-reader). The offer path is [/go/tadoku](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/tadoku). ## Sources checked Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Profile reviewed 2026-10-27. - [Tadoku Japanese English homepage](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/) - official product · checked 2026-10-27 · Official extensive-reading definition, free books entry, and graded readers described with kanji pronunciation hints, illustrations, and audio. - [How to start tadoku](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/what-is-tadoku-en/) - official docs · checked 2026-10-27 · Official start-easy rules, some-hiragana start, audio of entire books when hiragana is missing, and no-dictionary extensive reading. - [Free Tadoku Books](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/free-books-en/) - official product · checked 2026-10-27 · Official free library with browser reading, PDF download, print, and YouTube options, plus level filters and title-specific audio and YouTube labels. - [Our Graded Readers](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/graded-readers-en/) - official publisher · checked 2026-10-27 · Official print series from ASK, Taishukan, and NPO Tadoku Supporters, with audio as CD or mp3, and free Web Tadoku Books. - [NPO Tadoku order page](https://tadoku.org/japanese/to-order) - official pricing · checked 2026-10-27 · Official NPO print shop for nine Nihongo Tadoku Books; other publishers are not sold on that page. - [Tadoku level guide](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/levels-en/) - official docs · checked 2026-10-27 · Level Start is for absolute beginners with illustrations and audio; Level 0 is the starter level. - [Tadoku book page for あっ、まるい](https://tadoku.org/japanese/book/39479/) - official product · checked 2026-10-27 · Title-specific Level Start, furigana and audio labels, browser reader, reading and print PDF links, and MP3 link. ## Alternative tools - [Gravity](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/gravity) - Japanese media, synced transcripts, and review tied to the original scene. - [Hirogaru](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/hirogaru) - Free A1-A2 Japan Foundation site with interest-topic articles, videos, and kanji practice. - [Immersion Kit](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/immersion-kit) - Search Japanese words in anime and drama subtitle lines. ## Related - [Japanese reading resources](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/reading) - Reading improves when the text is finishable. Choose the amount of help, not the longest library. - [Free Japanese Learning Resources: Build a Study Routine](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/free-japanese-learning-resources) - A complete free stack can start with Irodori for sequence, Tae Kim for explanation, Jisho for lookup, Renshuu for optional review, Tadoku for reading, and Nihongo con Teppei for audio. You do not need all six on day one. - [Japanese reading resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-reading-resources-for-beginners) - There is no useful overall winner. Pick a finishable source for the job you have: graded books, annotated text, or a native title. This is not a ranked top five. - [Japanese resources for intermediate learners](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/intermediate) - Intermediate study is more input and fewer stacked beginner apps. Keep one review loop. Add reading, listening, and a grammar reference you will actually open. - [Japanese Graded Readers](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/japanese-graded-readers) - ASK’s よむよむ文庫 print packs with audio, and White Rabbit Press’s 9-story app. - [Natively](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/natively) - Community-graded Japanese books, movies, and TV by relative difficulty.