作品Free Graded Reading
電灯と浦島The Electric Light and Urashima
Denkō to Urashima
by 槙村 浩 · Makimura Hiroshi
JLPT N4Short Story
What if Urashima Taro saw an electric light? Hilarity ensues.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe speaker imagines showing an electric light to the legendary figure Urashima Taro, expecting surprise. However, Urashima reveals that he saw far more magnificent lights in the Dragon Palace eons ago, dismissing the modern bulb as dim and shabby.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 35/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 浦島 (うらしま) | Urashima Taro, a legendary fisherman |
|---|---|
| 電気 (でんき) | electricity; electric light |
| 龍宮 (りゅうぐう) | Dragon Palace (underwater palace from legend) |
| 百億色 (ひゃくおくいろ) | hundred billion colors |
| ボロボロ | shabby, worn-out; dim (of light) |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～から N5Indicates reason; 'because'.わしは何とも思はないきいてビックリオーヤ〳〵
- ～たら N4Conditional form; 'if' or 'when'.電気を見せたら「オーヤオヤ」
- ～わけがない unknownExpression meaning 'there is no reason that...' or 'it's impossible that...'電気を知ったわけがない
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Urashima TaroA famous Japanese folk tale about a fisherman who visits the Dragon Palace and returns to find centuries have passed. The poem plays with this story, imagining Urashima reacting to modern electricity.
- Old Kana UsageThe text uses historical kana orthography (e.g., 考へた for かんがえた, 分らない for わからない). This reflects early 20th-century writing conventions.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat does the speaker initially assume about Urashima Taro?
- That he would be amazed by an electric light.
- That he invented electricity.
- That he had seen electric lights before.
- That he would be sad to see a light.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipNotice the repeated use of ハテナ (question mark) to indicate confusion.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese昔は電気がなかったから昔の昔大昔生まれて死んだ浦島に電気を見せてやったなら大変びっくりするだろと電気を見せたら「オーヤオヤ」「この電気はエライ暗いなあ」ハテナハテナ昔の昔大昔生まれて死んだ浦島が電気を知ったわけがないハテナ ハテナとよーくよく考えたが分からない仕方がないから浦島にわけを聞いたら浦島は「わしは今から何億年の昔に竜宮へ行った時百億色の電灯をいくつもいくつも見たからこんなボロボロ電灯はわしは何とも思わないきいてビックリオーヤきいてビックリオーヤ
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