作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

あひるさん と にはとりさんMr. Duck and Mr. Chicken

Ahiru-san to Niwatori-san

by 村山 籌子 · Murayama Kazuko

JLPT N3Short StoryQuiz ready

Duck and Chicken get into hilarious scrapes like losing pencils and eating all the food in the dark.

About this story

A duck and a chicken search for lost pencils, get dirty, and are rewarded by the duck's mother.

Read a sample in Japanese

しんせつなあひるさんのおかあさん1にわとりさんが、あひるさんのところへあそびにいきました。あひるさんは、鉛筆えんぴつを五ご本ほんもなくしてしまったので、こまっています。2あひるさんは、にわとりさんにいいました。「僕ぼくは、どうも鉛筆えんぴつは、お池いけのなかにあるような気きがするよ。」とお池いけのなかへとびこんでさがしはじめました。3にわとりさんはいいました。「僕ぼくはどうも、畑はたけのなかにおっこちてるような気きがするよ。」と畑はたけをほじくりかえしました。けれども見みつかりませんでした。4二に人にんは一いち日にち中ちゅう、ほじくったり、もぐったりしたので、どろだらけになりましたので、あひるさんのお母様かあさまがお風呂ふろにいれてくださいました。そして、こんなにきれいになりましたので、ごほうびに鉛筆えんぴつをくださいました。あひるさんのおたんじょう日び1あひるさんのお母かあさんは、あひるさんのおたんじょう日びに、にわとりさんと、にわとりさんのお母かあさんをごちそうによびました。2
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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「日本児童文学大系 第二六巻」ほるぷ出版
1978(昭和53)年11月30日初刷発行

Typed in by 菅野朋子. Proofread by noriko saito.

Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, and replaced classical grammar and some archaic words with modern ones.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 4 parts.

What you'll learn

The duck loses his pencils, searches in the pond and field with the chicken, but they get muddy. The duck's mother gives them a bath and rewards them with pencils.

The duck's mother invites the chicken and his mother for a birthday feast. A power outage occurs, and the duck and chicken eat all the food in the dark. The mothers are disappointed but drink tea.

The duck hides his new hat under his wings and the chicken stuffs his new shoes in his bag, both embarrassed. They get hurt and the teacher sends them home, where they cry.

Language difficultyBeginner · 15/100

Key vocabulary

あひるduck
にはとりchicken
お母かあさんmother
鉛筆えんぴつpencil
おたんじょう日びbirthday

Grammar points you'll meet

  • ~てしまう N4Indicates completion of an action, often with a sense of regret or finality.
  • ~そうです (appearance) N4Used to describe something that looks like it will happen or has a certain appearance.
  • ~てくれる N4Someone does something for me/us.
  • ~たり~たりする N5Indicates actions done alternately or among others.
  • ~なければならない N4Must do something; obligation.

Cultural notes

  • Folktale-style storiesThese stories resemble traditional Japanese folktales with anthropomorphic animals and moral lessons, common in Japanese children's literature.
  • Senpai-Kouhai relationshipsThe duck and chicken interact as friends, but there is a sense of mutual respect and sometimes one leads, reflecting social hierarchies.

Try a comprehension question

What did the duck lose?

  1. Pencils
  2. A hat
  3. His mother
  4. A pencil
Check your answer & unlock the full quiz in the app

Sensei's reading tip

Focus on understanding the context from illustrations (if available) or the story flow.

Topics & grammar

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