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白

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

A dog named Shiro abandons a friend and finds he has turned black.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Beginner3,599 characters · ≈ 14 minSource: 青空文库

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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.

一one
One
あるa certain / one春のof spring / spring's午noon過ぎpast (the hour)ですit was / it is
It was a spring afternoon.
白と云う犬a dog named Whiteはtopic marker土をthe earth (object)嗅ぎ嗅ぎsniffing and sniffing静かなquiet往来をthe street (object of walking)歩いていましたwas walking
A dog named White was sniffing the earth and walking along a quiet street.
狭いnarrow往来street / thoroughfareのof / 's両側both sidesにon / atはtopic markerずっとcontinuously / all the way芽buds / sproutsをobject markerふいたhad sprouted (芽をふいた)生垣hedgeがsubject marker続きcontinued / stretched onそのthoseまたagain / in turn生垣hedgeのof / 's間between / spaceにin / atはtopic markerちらほらhere and there / sparsely桜cherry trees / cherry blossomsなどand the like / such asもalso / too咲いていますwere blooming (咲いています)
On both sides of the narrow street, hedges with new buds stretched on, and between those hedges, here and there, cherry trees and the like were blooming.

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About the book

The little dog Shiro witnesses a dog-catcher setting a trap for his friend Kuro, but flees out of fear and later finds that his whole body has turned black. Opening on a spring street confrontation, the tale carries the surface of a fairy tale and an underlying weight of guilt.

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.

犬殺し History

In large cities such as Tokyo during the Meiji and Taishō periods, there were indeed men who made a living by catching and killing stray dogs, working in the streets and alleys with traps (罠). Ordinary people regarded this as a frightening and lowly occupation. The 『犬殺し』 in the story refers to just such a figure.

印半纏 Customs

A 半纏 (はんてん) is a short outer coat worn daily by labourers and street vendors. An 『印半纏』 is a hanten printed with the name of a shop or trade, or with a family crest, serving in effect as a work uniform. There is no equivalent single word for it, so it must be understood as a whole.

犬くぐり Customs

A small opening made in the gate or under the wall of a traditional Japanese house, allowing the watchdog to come and go freely.

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.

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 “Beginner”. 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.

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