どんぐりと山猫
Wildcat and the Acorns
Ichiro gets an odd postcard from a wildcat asking him to judge acorns.
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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.
About the book
Donguri to Yamaneko (The Acorns and the Wildcat) is a fairy tale by Kenji Miyazawa, included in the 1924 collection The Restaurant of Many Orders, the only collection of his works published during his lifetime. The story tells of Ichiro, who receives a strange postcard from a wildcat asking him to come settle a quarrel among the acorns. As a tale from that collection, it is worth reading.
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.
Refers to a fifth-year pupil at a "尋常小学校" (ordinary elementary school) of the time in Japan.
"別当" originally referred to a monk-official in charge of affairs at ancient temples; later it also came to mean a stable manager or head groom. Here it is the title of a servant in the wildcat's carriage team. The archaic, dignified title applied to a comic figure creates an amusing contrast.
A sleeveless short surcoat worn over armour by warring-states commanders, convenient for directing troops in battle. The wildcat wears a yellow one, making him look both imposing and comical.
About the author
Kenji Miyazawa (27 August 1896 – 21 September 1933) was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, who also worked as an agricultural science teacher. His major works include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Kaze no Matasaburō, Gauche the Cellist, and The Night of Taneyamagahara, and his work gained its reputation mostly after his death.
Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: どんぐりと山猫 (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 “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.
More by this author
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- 狼森と笊森、盗森Kenji Miyazawa · Intermediate
- かしわばやしの夜Kenji Miyazawa · Intermediate
- 烏の北斗七星Kenji Miyazawa · Intermediate
- ざしき童子のはなしKenji Miyazawa · Beginner