kotori - Read Japanese Novels
No distraction. Just Immersion
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Osamu Dazai, Soseki Natsume, Ryunosuke Akutagawa — a literary reader that beautifully displays approximately 18,000 works from Aozora Bunko in vertical text with ruby annotations. Completely free, no ads, no registration required.
■ Why Kotori?
You want to read literature in vertical text. You want to look up words while reading. You don't want to be interrupted by ads. Kotori makes all of that possible.
■ Key Features
· Vertical text display + ruby (furigana) support
Authentic vertical text rendering delivers a natural reading experience just like a printed book. With full ruby (furigana) support, even works filled with classical kanji are easy to read.
· Built-in offline dictionary (approx. 91,000 entries) — look up words instantly while reading
Search any word on the spot. With an offline Japanese dictionary containing approximately 91,000 entries, you can check meanings without any network connection.
· 4 themes (Light, Dark, Sepia, Aozora)
Mix and match four themes — Light, Dark, Sepia, and Aozora — with two font styles: Gothic and Mincho. Fine-tune text size for a comfortable, eye-friendly reading experience.
· Highlight & memo feature
Highlight and annotate passages that move you. Save phrases you want to revisit, color-coded for easy reference.
· Quick search by title or author
Search by title, author name, or reading to quickly find the work you're looking for. Download it and enjoy reading even where there's no signal.
■ Use it with confidence
· Completely free — no in-app purchases
· No ads — stay focused on reading
No ads or pop-ups of any kind. Every inch of the screen is a space just for you and the work.
Kotori is a small doorway into the treasure trove of Japanese literature. As an Aozora Bunko reader, it brings beautiful vertical text, an offline dictionary, and a comfortable reading environment together in one app. Why not dive into the world of literature with Kotori?
Ratings & Reviews
■New Features
- Reading Reminder: Get occasional notifications when you have works you haven't read in a while.
- More expressive Kotori: Added a variety of expressions for Kotori depending on the situation, such as looking happy when you finish a book or sleepy while on standby.
■Improvements
- Redesigned the completion screen
- Improved the display of the source edition page
Other minor bug fixes.
The developer, Tatsuhiko Kawana, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Usage Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Tatsuhiko Kawana
- Size
- 50.5 MB
- Category
- Books
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English and Japanese
- Age Rating
13+
- 13+
- Infrequent
Realistic Violence
Profanity or Crude Humor
Horror/Fear Themes
Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References
Sexual Content or Nudity
- Copyright
- © 2026 Tatsuhiko Kawana