二つの頭Two Heads

About this story

A boy daydreams about swapping heads with his brother to avoid homework.

Read a sample in Japanese

Read the full text with furigana + instant lookups in Yomimaru →

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): 「原民喜戦後全小説下」講談社文芸文庫、講談社
1995（平成7）年8月10日第1刷発行

Typed in by Juki. Proofread by 土屋隆.

Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.

What you'll learn

Yuji watches his brother sketch cranes and daydreams about his own ability to draw anything. He remembers his homework, returns home reluctantly, and wishes he could swap heads with his brother to finish it. After completing the homework, he dreams of an exam where he has his brother's head and succeeds, but wakes up to find he has bumped heads with his brother.

Key vocabulary

スケッチ	sketch
とりかえっこ	exchange, swap
しぶりしぶり	reluctantly
ぐうぐう	sound of sleeping, snoring
ごつん	sound of a hard knock

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～んだい N4Casual explanatory question or exclamation, often used by children.

  何なにんだい、僕ぼくだって描えがけますよ

• ～かしら N4Casual expression of uncertainty or wondering, often used by females or in literature.

  ほんとに僕ぼくは描えがけるのかしら

• ～と…と N3Listing items or actions, often with ～たり structure here but used as parallel actions.

  鶴つるだって、犬いぬだって、山やまの絵えだって、駅えきだって、街まちの絵えだって、みんな描えがけます

• ～てゆく N3To proceed to do something; てゆく is a phonetic variant of ていく.

  試験しけんの問題もんだいが不思議ふしぎにすらすらとけてゆきます

Cultural notes

• School Homework and Exams in JapanHomework (宿題) and exams (試験) are a major part of Japanese education. The story reflects a child's anxiety about completing homework and the desire for an easy way out, like swapping heads with a smarter sibling.
• Dreams and SuperstitionsDreams in Japanese culture can be seen as omens or reflections of waking thoughts. The dream about swapping heads with his brother shows Yuji's wish fulfillment, but the rude awakening adds a humorous moral.

Try a comprehension question

Topics & grammar