JLPT N3 Japanese Reading Practice

JLPT N3 Japanese reading practice should feel like real messages and daily hesitation—not textbook dialogues only. Use the free samples, check the vocab and grammar notes, and keep training with short passages in Yomigi.

返事を迷う

友人ゆうじんから「今日きょう、時間じかんある？」とだけメッセージが来きた。何なんの話はなしか分わからなかったが、すぐ返かえす気きになれなかった。いい返事へんじを考かんがえているうちに、電車でんしゃはもう家いえの近ちかくまで来きていた。

Summary

A friend texts only “Do you have time today?” The narrator does not know what it is about and cannot bring themselves to reply right away. While thinking of a good answer, the train is already near home.

Key Vocabulary

友人ゆうじんfriend (slightly more formal than 友達)
メッセージメッセージmessage (often a text / chat message)
返事へんじreply / response
気になれなかったきになれなかったcould not bring oneself to; did not feel like doing it
考えているうちにかんがえているうちにwhile (still) thinking; before one realizes
近くちかくnearby / vicinity

Grammar Notes

とだけ for “only …” quotation: 「今日、時間ある？」とだけメッセージが来た means the message contained only that short line—nothing else explained.
気になれない: すぐ返す気になれなかった softens refusal: not “I decided not to reply,” but “I could not get myself to reply.”
〜うちに for elapsed time: 考えているうちに shows that time passed during the thinking, and the train situation changed.

Comprehension

01What did the friend’s message say?Reveal Answer

Only “Do you have time today?”

02Why didn’t the narrator reply immediately?Reveal Answer

They did not know what the message was about and could not bring themselves to answer right away.

03What happened while they were thinking?Reveal Answer

The train had already come close to home.

Who This Level Is For

You can handle everyday written Japanese with pauses for lookups.

You want passages that mix narration and soft interpersonal friction.

You are building stamina for multi-clause sentences.

Reading Tips

Watch connective words that flip soft refusals or hesitation.

Summarize the situation in one English sentence, then discard it.

Mark only friction words; ignore rare names if the scene is clear.