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September 22, 2026

How to use

Designed to help you progress once you’re comfortable with the basics. Use it as supplementary material alongside your studies.

Pick a school grade or JLPT level and do this each day:

  1. Handwrite the passage in a notebook.
  2. Read the passage out loud.
  3. Understand the meaning of the passage (if you need help, check the English translation).
  4. Take note of the grammar points (try understanding them in Japanese first; if you need help, refer to the English translation).
N3高1 · High School 1September 22, 2026

えきうらのちいさなラーメンや

せんしゅう、どうりょうにおそえてもらって、えきのうらにあるちいさなラーメンやにいってみた。かんばんもほとんどみえないばしょにあるわりに、てんないはまんせきで、おどろいたことに、じょうれんきゃくらしいひとたちが々つぎつぎとはいってきた。スープはみためがこいわりにあじはいがいにあっさりしていて、めんのかたさもこみにあわせてもらえるのがうれしかった。ねだんがやすいばかりか、てんしゅがひとりひとりに「おいしかったですか」とこえをかけてくれるてんもきにはいった。ちかいうちに、またおとずれたいとおもう。

文法

  • 「〜わりに」は、前まえの内容ないようから予想よそうされる程度ていどと比くらべて、実際じっさいはそれほどではない、または意外いがいであることを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜ことに」は、驚おどろき・悲かなしみ・嬉うれしさなどの感情かんじょうを表あらわす言葉ことばに続つづいて、その気持きもちを強つよめて述のべる表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜ばかりか」は、一ひとつの事柄ことがらだけでなく、それ以上いじょうに程度ていの高たかいことや意外いがいなことも加くわわることを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
English

A Small Ramen Shop Behind the Station

Last week, following a coworker's recommendation, I tried out a small ramen shop tucked behind the station. Despite the sign being barely visible, the inside was packed, and to my surprise, one regular customer after another kept coming in. The soup looked rich, but surprisingly the taste was light, and I was happy that they let you choose your preferred noodle firmness for such a small request. Not only were the prices cheap, but the owner also asked each customer individually, "Was it delicious?" which I really liked about this place. I'd like to go back again sometime soon.

  • ~わりに means 'considering ~' or 'for ~', expressing that the actual degree of something differs from what would normally be expected based on a stated condition.
  • ~ことに follows a word expressing emotion (like 驚いた, 嬉しい) to emphasize the speaker's feeling about what follows, meaning 'to one's surprise/joy/sadness, ~'.
  • ~ばかりか means 'not only ~ but also', indicating that something goes beyond a single fact to include an even more significant or unexpected addition.
All JLPT N3 paragraphs