ForReaders who want public-domain classics in the original language on the same shelf as their English library—not a separate language-learning app.
Original-language shelves
Discover’s regional shelves include native-language collections. Each language has an indexable hub that lists titles you can open in the reader. These are original-language texts—not the English-translation shelves for the same literatures.
- Chinese (中文) — /languages/chinese
- German (Deutsch) — /languages/german
- French (Français) — /languages/francais
- Japanese (日本語) — /languages/japanese
- Portuguese (Português) — /languages/portugues
- Russian (Русский) — /languages/russkiy
Same reading system
Language shelves sit in the BetterReads account you already use: progress, notes, optional companions where curated, Study, and sync on web, iOS, Android, and Mac. Import your own EPUB or PDF when the edition you need is outside the free catalog.
Part of the reading super-app
This feature ships in the same BetterReads account as classics with companions, the shelf log (including Goodreads import), your own EPUB/PDF/audiobook imports, PDF research, LibriVox listen-along, Study, and sync—on web, iOS, Android, and Mac (Linux coming). See the reading-system overview for the full stack. Start free; Scholar unlocks full companions and deeper study.
Start free. Scholar for full depth.
You can preview a chapter, browse the public-domain library, build a shelf, and feel the system without paying. Something this complete is not free forever: Scholar unlocks full chapter companions and deeper study tools—the depth that makes the stack worth keeping.
FAQ
- Are these English translations of foreign classics?
- No. The language hubs list original-language public-domain titles (中文, Deutsch, Français, and so on). Separate English-translation shelves exist in Discover for some literatures; they are not the same hubs.
- Is BetterReads a language-learning app?
- No. It is a reading system. You can read foreign-language classics with the same tools as English titles; it does not replace a dedicated language course.
- Where do I browse all language shelves?
- Open /languages for the index, or jump to a specific shelf such as /languages/chinese.
Updated 2026-10-03