What JLPT level is ゴムフウセン?

ゴムフウセン is suitable for JLPT N4 level readers (estimated JLPT N4).

How long does ゴムフウセン take to read?

ゴムフウセン takes about 5 minutes (around 252 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

ゴムフウセンThe Rubber Balloon

Gomu Fusen

by 桜間中庸 · Sakurama Chūyō

JLPT N4Short Story

A boy runs for a balloon, chasing childhood joy in this nostalgic sprint.

About this story

A child runs joyfully, chasing a balloon and remembering candy, in a simple tale of childhood.

Read a sample in Japanese

僕ぼくは走はしっていきました。走はしっていきました。セーターのポケットからキャラメルが飛とび出だしそうでした。飛とび出だしそうでした。僕ぼくは走はしっていきました。走はしっていきました。タカオちゃんの家いえは、からたちの垣根かきねを回まわったあそこです。垣根かきねのところを回まわって、風船ふうせん売うりのおじいさんが来きました。赤あかいのや青あおいのが、みんな糸いとの先さきでゆらゆら揺ゆれています。空そらへ飛とびそうです。空そらはよく晴はれています。僕ぼくは風船ふうせんを見みながら走はしりました。僕ぼくは転ころんでしまいました。風船ふうせんが頭あたまの中なかでくるくる回まわって、パチンと割われたと思おもいました。セーターのポケットから、いつの間まにかキャラメルが飛とび出だして、道みちの上うえまで逃にげていました。

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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): 「日光浴室　櫻間中庸遺稿集」ボン書店
1936（昭和11）年7月28日発行

Typed in by Y.S.. Proofread by 富田倫生.

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

The boy runs towards Taka-chan's house, passing a balloon seller and dropping his caramels. He sees a red balloon and hears that his mother bought one for him too.

Language difficultyBeginner · 15/100

Key vocabulary

キヤラメル	caramel candy
フウセン	balloon
カケテツタ	was running

Grammar points you'll meet

～ていた (V-te ita) N4Past progressive form of a verb, indicating an action was ongoing in the past.
ボクカケテツタ
～そうだ (そう) N4Indicates something seems likely to happen or appears a certain way, attached to verb stem or adjective stem.
キヤラメルガトビダシサウデ
～てしまう (～ちゃう) N4Expresses completion of an action, often with regret or surprise. Colloquial contraction '～ちゃう' is used.
コロンヂヤツタ

Cultural notes

Karatachi (Chinese quince) hedgesKaratachi (Poncirus trifoliata) is a thorny citrus tree commonly used as a hedge in traditional Japanese homes. It appears in the story as a marker of Taka-chan's house, evoking a nostalgic rural setting.
Fūsen Uri (Balloon sellers)Balloon sellers were a common sight at festivals and streets in Showa-era Japan, selling colorful balloons. The old man in the story represents this nostalgic figure.

Try a comprehension question

What did the boy think fell into the ditch?

A balloon
A caramel candy
A button
A coin

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Sensei's reading tip

This text uses katakana for all words, which is unusual. Try reading it as if it were hiragana to get the phonetic flow, then relate it to the story's childlike perspective.