What JLPT level is ガチヨウノタンジヨウビ?

ガチヨウノタンジヨウビ is suitable for JLPT N4 level readers (estimated JLPT N4).

How long does ガチヨウノタンジヨウビ take to read?

ガチヨウノタンジヨウビ takes about 9 minutes (around 426 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

ガチヨウノ　タンジヨウビGoose's Birthday

Q: What JLPT level is ガチヨウノ タンジヨウビ?

ガチヨウノ タンジヨウビ is suitable for JLPT N4 level readers (estimated JLPT N4).

Q: How long does ガチヨウノ タンジヨウビ take to read?

ガチヨウノ タンジヨウビ takes about 9 minutes (around 426 words) to read at a learner's pace.

Gachō no Tanjōbi

by 新美南吉 · Niimi Nankichi

JLPT N4Short Story

A weasel tries not to fart at a birthday party and faints.

About this story

Animals celebrate Goose's birthday but must decide whether to invite the weasel, who has a loud embarrassing habit.

Read a sample in Japanese

ある百姓ひゃくしょうさんの家いえの裏庭うらにわには、あひるや、がちょうや、モルモットや、うさぎや、いたちなどが住すんでいました。ある日にち、がちょうの誕生たんじょう日びでしたから、みんなはがちょうのところへごちそうを食たべに行いきました。いたちも呼よべば、お客きゃくさんがみんな集あつまりますが、いたちはどうしましょう。みんなは、いたちは悪わるい動物どうぶつではないことを知しっていました。けれども、いたちには一ひとつだけ悪わるい癖くせがありました。それは、みんなの前まえで言いうことができない恥はずかしい癖くせでした。実じつは、大おおきなおならをすることです。しかし、いたちだけを呼よばないと、いたちはきっと怒おこります。そこで、うさぎがいたちのところへ呼よびに行いきました。

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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): 「校定　新美南吉全集第四巻」大日本図書
1980（昭和55）年9月30日初版第1刷発行

Typed in by 川向直樹. Proofread by 高松理恵美.

Yomimaru has edited this text for modern readers. Its Aozora Bunko card has the text as the volunteers entered it.

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

What you'll learn

Animals living behind a medicine shop are invited to a birthday party for a butterfly. They worry about inviting the weasel due to his habit of loud farting, but they invite him anyway after asking him to refrain. The weasel holds in his farts so much that he passes out, and the doctor says he needs to fart to recover. The others regret inviting him.

Language difficultyBeginner · 15/100

Key vocabulary

イタチ	weasel
オナラ	fart
ガマン	endurance; patience
ポンポコ	onomatopoeia for a swollen belly

Grammar points you'll meet

～てしまう N4Indicates completion or regrettable action (ended up doing something).
イタチガ　トツゼン　ヒツクリカヘツテ、キゼツシテ　シマツタノデス。
～よりしかたがない N3There is no choice but to...
コレヲ　ナホスニハ、イタチサンニ　オモヒキリ　オナラヲ　サセルヨリ　シカタハ　アリマセン。
～てください N5Please do (polite request).
ケフダケハ　オナラヲ　シナイデ　クダサイ。
～んです N4Explanatory sentence ending (it is that...).
コレハ、イタチサンガ、オナラヲ　シタイノヲ　アマリ　ガマンシテ　ヰタノデ　コンナ　コトニ　ナツタノデス。

Cultural notes

Farting in Japanese CultureIn Japan, farting (おなら) in public is considered very rude and embarrassing. This story humorously deals with the social pressure to suppress such bodily functions.

Try a comprehension question

Why were the animals hesitant to invite the weasel to the birthday party?

Because the weasel is mean
Because the weasel farts loudly
Because the weasel is always late
Because the weasel doesn't like parties

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Sensei's reading tip

The text is written entirely in katakana, which is unusual for normal Japanese. This might be a children's story or a stylized text. Sound out the katakana words by converting them to hiragana to recognize familiar vocabulary.