作品Free Graded Reading
二つの頭Two Heads
Futatsu no Atama
by 原 民喜 · Hara Tamiki
JLPT N3Short StoryQuiz ready
If I could swap heads with my brother, homework would be easy!
What you'll learn
What you'll learnYuji 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.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 45/100
Key vocabulary
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
Grammar points you'll meet- ～んだい N4Casual explanatory question or exclamation, often used by children.何んだい、僕だって描けますよ
- ～かしら N4Casual expression of uncertainty or wondering, often used by females or in literature.ほんとに僕は描けるのかしら
- ～と…と N3Listing items or actions, often with ～たり structure here but used as parallel actions.鶴だって、犬だって、山の絵だって、駅だって、街の絵だって、みんな描けます
- ～てゆく N3To proceed to do something; てゆく is a phonetic variant of ていく.試験の問題が不思議にすらすらとけてゆきます
Cultural notes
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
Try a comprehension questionWhat does Yuji wish he could do to make homework easier?
- Swap heads with his brother
- Copy his brother's homework
- Ask his mother for help
- Skip homework
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to onomatopoeia like ぐうぐう and ごつん. They vividly describe sounds and actions.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese日曜日のことでした、雄二の兄と兄の友達が鶴小屋の前で、鶴をスケッチしていました、雄二はそれを側で眺めながら、ひとりでこんなことを考えました……何んだい、僕だって描けますよ、鶴だって、犬だって、山の絵だって、駅だって、街の絵だって、みんな描けます、僕の眼にちゃんと見えるものなら、それをそのとおり描けばいいんだから、だからなんだって描けますよ、眼に見えないものだって、美しい美しい天国の絵だって、それもそのうち描けますよ
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