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犬の王様

by Kyūsaku Yumeno

A king with no queen or children raises a dog.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Beginner1,350 characters · ≈ 5 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.

むかしlong agoあるa certain国countryにin独り者a person living aloneの's (modifying)王様kingが(subject marker)ありましたthere was (polite past of ある)
Long ago, in a certain country, there was a king who lived alone.
家来がhis servants (subject)どんなにおすすめしてもno matter how (much) they advisedお妃をa queen (object)お迎えにならずwould not take (a queen)お子様もないhaving no children either代りにinstead一匹の犬をone dog (object)育ててraised毎晩可愛がってloved it every night息子よ息子よと'son, son' (quoting)よんでcalled (it)毎日この犬をthis dog every day連れてはtaking (it) along山を歩くのをwalking in the mountains何よりの楽しみにしてmade (it) his greatest pleasureおいでになりました(he) did (honorific)
No matter how his servants advised him, he would not take a queen, and instead of having children, he raised one dog, loved it every night, called it 'son, son,' and took the greatest pleasure in walking in the mountains with this dog every day.
そのうちにafter a while王様はthe king (topic)ちょっとしたslight; minor病気でfrom an illness亡くなられましたpassed away (respectful)がbutそのhis; that御遺言にはin his will俺がI (subject)死んだらwhen I die息子をmy son (object)王様とせよmake (him) king
After a while, the king died of a slight illness, but in his will he said, 'When I die, make my son king.'
そうしたらthen / if so俺Iがsubject marker妃queen / consortをobject marker迎えtake (as a wife/queen)なかったdid notわけreason / whyがsubject markerわかるunderstandであろうwill (probably) beとの事でしたit was said that
Then you will understand why I did not take a queen,' it said.

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About the book

The story tells of a king with no queen who raised a dog as his son and, in his dying will, named that dog his successor. Told in a fairy-tale voice with a lively pace, it follows the dog king as he chases a calico cat into the mountains, where a forest spirit reveals the truth about a hidden prince.

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.

金襴の着物 Customs

金襴 (kinran) is a brocade woven with gold thread. It was introduced to Japan through trade with China in the Muromachi period, and from the Edo period onward it was used mainly on formal occasions such as Noh theatre costumes, samurai ceremonial dress, and Buddhist temple decorations.

お目見得 Customs

「お目見得 (ome mie)」 refers to a person of lower rank meeting a superior for the first time, or to a person of high standing appearing in public to receive callers.

About the author

Yumeno Kyūsaku (4 January 1889 – 11 March 1936) was a Japanese author whose pen name roughly means "a person who always dreams"; his real name was Sugiyama Yasumichi. He wrote detective novels and also worked as a Zen priest, post office director and sub-lieutenant, and is known for his avant-gardism and surrealistic, wildly imaginative and bizarre narratives.

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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