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三四郎

Sanshiro

by Natsume Sōseki

A young man from the provinces comes to Tokyo for university.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,397 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
うとうととしてdozing; in a drowsy state目がさめるとwhen (he) woke up女はthe womanいつのまにかbefore one knew it; already隣のじいさんthe old man next to (her)とwith話を始めているhad started talking
When he woke up from a doze, the woman had already started talking with the old man next to her.
このthisじいさんold manはtopic markerたしかにsurely前の前の駅the station before lastからfrom乗ったいgot on (past form of 乗る)なか者country personであるis (assertive copula)
This old man was surely a country person who had got on at the station before last.
発車まぎわにjust as the train was about to depart頓狂な声を出してletting out a wild voice駆け込んで来てcame running inいきなりsuddenly肌をぬいだstripped off his shirtと思ったらjust when (I) thought背中にon his backお灸のあとがいっぱいあったthere were lots of moxa marksのでso三四郎の記憶に残っているremained in Sanshiro's memory
Just before the train left, he ran in with a wild voice, and when he suddenly took off his shirt, he had many moxa marks on his back, so Sanshiro remembered him.

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About the book

Sanshirō is a 1908 novel by Natsume Sōseki, first serialized in the Asahi Shimbun and the opening work of his early trilogy. It follows Ogawa Sanshirō, a young man from the Kyushu countryside, as he arrives at the University of Tokyo and encounters a new urban world, fellow students, professors, and love. Through Sanshirō and those around him, the novel also offers a critique of Japan at the time.

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.

蛸薬師のそばで玩具を買って History

Tako-Yakushi is a street name in Kyoto, named after the Tako-Yakushi temple hall on that street.

呉にいて長らく海軍の職工をしていた History

Kure is a naval port in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to a naval arsenal. This says her husband worked for many years there as a naval craftsman.

戦争中は旅順の方に行っていた。 History

This refers to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Port Arthur was a Russian fortress, and the siege caused extremely heavy casualties. After the war Japan took over the leased Kwantung Territory, and Dairen became a commercial port where many went to seek a living—hence the remark that "you can make more money over there."

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.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 三四郎 (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

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

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

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