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愛撫

by Motojirō Kajii

A cat’s ears are such strange things: a fantasy about cats.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate2,874 characters · ≈ 11 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.

猫の耳a cat's earというものはas for the thing calledまことにtruly可笑しなものであるis a funny thing
A cat's ear is a truly funny thing.
薄べったくてthin and flimsy, and冷たくてcold, and竹の子の皮のようにlike bamboo shoot skin表にはon the front絨毛が生えていてsoft hair is growing, and裏はthe backピカピカしているis shiny
It is thin and cold, like bamboo shoot skin, with soft hair on the front and shiny on the back.
硬いようなseemingly hard柔らかいようなseemingly softなんともいえないindescribable一種特別の物質a special kind of substanceであるis
It is a special kind of stuff, hard yet soft, hard to describe.
私はI / as for me子供のときからsince I was a child猫の耳cat earsというとwhen it comes to / at the mention of一度once切符切りticket punchでwithパチンとwith a snapやってみたくてwanted to try doing堪らなかったcould not bear it / was dying to
Ever since I was a child, when it comes to cat ears, I have wanted to try snapping one with a ticket punch once.

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About the book

"Aibu" is a short piece by Motojirō Kajii, an essayistic story built on the fantasies that surface while playing with his cat. It records playful imaginings—like snapping the cat's ears like a ticket punch, or what would happen if all its claws were clipped. Though written in mischief, the warmth and refinement flowing through it earned high praise as a light, deft short work.

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.

切符切り Customs

This refers to the ticket punch used by conductors, who would clip a notch into a passenger's ticket with a "snip." The author likens the action of pinching a cat's ear with the punch to punching a ticket. The punch was a common everyday item at the time, which is what gives rise to this childlike flight of fancy.

About the author

Motojirō Kajii (February 17, 1901 – March 24, 1932) was a Japanese writer of the early Shōwa period known for his poetic short stories, including "Lemon," "In a Castle Town," "Winter Days," and "Beneath the Cherry Trees." His works were praised by fellow writers such as Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, and are admired today for their finely tuned self-observation and descriptive power.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 愛撫 (小説) (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.

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What level is it?

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

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