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天狗笑

by Yoshio Toyoshima

In a village at the foot of a mountain, a tengu’s laughter is heard.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Beginner3,577 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
むかしlong agoあるa certain山裾foot of a mountainにat (location particle)小さなsmall村villageが(subject particle)ありましたthere was (polite past of ある)
Long ago, there was a small village at the foot of a mountain.
村のうしろはbehind the village大きな森a big forestからfrom山になっていましてhad become a mountain前はin front広い平野にthrough a wide plainうつくしい小川がa beautiful stream流れていましたwas flowing
Behind the village, a big forest rose into a mountain, and in front, a stream flowed through a wide plain.
村の人たちはthe village people (topic)平野をthe plain (object)ひらいてopening up (and)穀物や野菜をgrain and vegetables (object)作ったりdoing things like growing野原にin the fields牛や馬をcows and horses (object)飼ったりdoing things like keeping (animals)してdoing (and)たのしくhappily平和にpeacefullyくらしていましたwere living
The village people opened up the plain to grow grain and vegetables, and kept cows and horses in the fields, living happily and in peace.

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About the book

The text tells of children in a small village at the foot of a mountain who, while playing a newly fashionable staring game, see an enormous face appear in the sky above them and laugh loudly before vanishing. It reads like a gentle fairy tale, with a mood of childlike wonder shifting from fear to amusement.

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.

だるまさん Customs

The daruma is a roly-poly doll: a round body with no arms or legs and a stern face with wide, glaring eyes. It is a common good-luck charm in Japan. The song plays on the way the daruma stares fixedly without moving, turning the game into a staring contest—whoever laughs first loses.

にらめっこ Customs

にらめっこ originally refers to a children's game in which two players stare at each other and the first to laugh loses. In the 'だるまさん' game, the line 'にらめっこしましょう' is a fixed part of the song. Players sing while walking in a circle, and whoever laughs first loses.

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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