LightNovelLingo
Home / Library / Japanese / 猿蟹合戦

猿蟹合戦

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

After the folktale, the crab who took revenge is sentenced to death.

Read this book free →

Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate2,250 characters · ≈ 9 minSource: 青空文库

Want to read your own Japanese light novels? Read the guide →

Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

蟹のthe crab's握り飯rice ballを[object marker]奪ったstole猿はthe monkey (topic)とうとうfinally蟹にby the crab仇を取られたwas avenged / had revenge taken on it
The monkey who took the crab's rice ball was finally punished by the crab.
蟹はthe crab (topic)臼mortar蜂bee卵eggと共にtogether with怨敵のof the sworn enemy猿monkeyを(object marker)殺したkilledのであるit is that (emphatic explanatory ending)
The crab, together with the mortar, the bee, and the egg, killed the hated monkey.
そのthat話storyはtopic markerいまさらnow (after all this time)しないnot doでもeven if好いis fine / is all right
—There is no need to tell that story now.
ただhowever / but猿を仕止めた後after the monkey was killed蟹を始めstarting with the crab同志のものはthe comrades / the othersどう云うwhat kind of運命に逢着したかmet what fateそれをthat話すことはtelling (it)必要であるis necessary
But after the monkey was killed, it is necessary to tell what fate the crab and the others met.

Read free →

About the book

"The Monkey-Crab Battle" is a short piece by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, a parody based on the well-known Japanese folk tale of the same name. It takes the form of an untold sequel to the familiar tale: the crab and its companions, having successfully carried out their revenge, are sentenced to death for killing the monkey. This twist on a familiar story makes it an interesting read.

Cultural notes (selection)

Background a translation can’t carry: social roles, history and allusions. While reading, tap “Note” at the end of a sentence to see them all.

優勝劣敗 History

“優勝劣敗” is a four-character Sino-Japanese phrase that entered Japan along with Social Darwinism from the Meiji era onward, and was often used to justify the strong in competition.

商業会議所会頭某男爵 Social role

A “chamber of commerce” was an association of industrialists and merchants established in the Meiji era, later becoming the chambers of commerce and industry. Its chairmen were often leading figures from political and business circles; those created barons belonged to the kazoku (peerage).

クロポトキンが相互扶助論 Allusion

Kropotkin's Mutual Aid argues that both animals and humans have an instinct for mutual aid.

About the author

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1 March 1892 – 24 July 1927), also known by his art name Chōkōdō Shujin, was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period who is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story". He died by suicide at the age of 35 through an overdose of barbital, and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 猿蟹合戦 (芥川龍之介) (CC BY-SA)

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

FAQ

Is this the original text?

Yes. The library holds the opening section of the public-domain original, taken from 青空文库.

Do I need to pay or sign up?

Library books are free to read without an account. Other gloss languages and importing your own texts need an account and credits.

What level is it?

This one is marked “Intermediate”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

Can I use another gloss language?

English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.

More by this author

Read this book free →