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こころ

Kokoro

by Natsume Sōseki

A student befriends a man he calls Sensei, who hides a painful secret.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,478 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.

上Part One (section heading)先生Sensei (the teacher; form of address)とand私I / me
Part One: Sensei and I
一one
One
私はI (topic)その人をthat person (object)常にalways先生とas Sensei呼んでいたwas calling (habitually)
I always called him Sensei.
だからso / thereforeここでもhere tooただjust / only先生と"Sensei" (as a name)書くwriteだけでand merely / just by doing本名はas for his real name打ち明けないdo not reveal
So here too I just write Sensei and do not give his real name.

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About the book

The narrator recalls meeting a man he always calls "Sensei" at the seaside in Kamakura, explaining why he writes only "Sensei" and never reveals the real name. The prose is calm and restrained, carrying the quiet tone of a first-person reminiscence.

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.

掛茶屋 Customs

A simple tea shed temporarily set up on the beach, where seawater bathers could rest, leave their belongings, and change clothes. In the Meiji period, when seawater bathing was popular, the Kamakura coast had no proper changing facilities, and holidaymakers generally relied on such communal tea houses.

端書 Customs

端書 (hagaki) means a postcard. A postal system already existed in the Meiji period, and postcards were a cheap and commonly used means of communication.

玉突きだのアイスクリームだのというハイカラなもの History

玉突き means billiards. In the late Meiji period, billiards and ice cream were regarded as fashionable Western novelties, found only in bustling entertainment districts—an implicit contrast with the 'remote' lodging described later.

About the author

Natsume Sōseki (9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and scholar regarded as one of the greatest writers in modern Japanese history. His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, Kokoro, and his unfinished final novel Light and Dark.

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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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 “Advanced”. 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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