作品Free Graded Reading
鉛筆のシンThe Pencil Lead
Enpitsu no Shin
by 夢野 久作 · Yumeno Kyūsaku
JLPT N4Short Story
A child’s frustration with a broken pencil leads to a surprising insight about patience.
About this story
About this storyA child blames his knife and pencil for breaking leads, but the pencil teaches a deeper lesson.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese子供が鉛筆を削っているとあまり無茶に削るので何べんでもシンが折れました。「このナイフがわるいのだ」と子供は言ってナイフを磨いでコシコシ削りましたが、やっぱりポチポチと黒いシンが折れます。「この鉛筆がわるいのだ」と子供はカンシャクを起こして鉛筆を折ってしまいました。「もっといい鉛筆でなくちゃ駄目だ」鉛筆は折られながら言いました。「あなたの心をもっといいのにとりかえなくちゃ、いくらいい鉛筆を買ってもだめです」
Read the full text with furigana + instant lookups in Yomimaru →
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA child sharpens a pencil, breaking the lead repeatedly. He blames the knife, then the pencil, and finally breaks the pencil. The pencil speaks, advising him to change his heart.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 40/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| シン | lead (of a pencil) |
|---|---|
| カンシャク | tantrum |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～なくちゃ N3Contraction of なくては, meaning 'must' or 'have to'.もっといい鉛筆でなくちゃ駄目だ。
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did the pencil lead keep breaking?
- The knife was dull.
- The pencil was of poor quality.
- The child sharpened too forcefully.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the dialogue vs narrative parts.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
同級More at N4
- Easy Japanese news at N4Yominews · free, furigana on every kanji
- Free N4 graded Japanese textsYomibunko · graded texts, free
- The full JLPT N4 grammar list57 points · free study cards
- Which kanji you need for N4Study guide · what to know
- JLPT reading comprehension strategiesStudy guide · reading strategy
Fresh reads in your inbox
A short monthly note when we add new graded stories. No spam.
