作品Free Graded Reading
歯と眼の悪いおぢいさんThe Old Man with Bad Teeth and Eyes
Ha to me no warui ojiisan
by 村山 籌子 · Murayama Kazuko
An old man with bad eyes mistakes eggs for coins and comically chases his fortune.
About this story
About this storyA poor old man with a toothache searches for money, but finds eggs that hatch into chicks.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseSource
SourceThis 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): 「日本児童文学大系 第二六巻」ほるぷ出版
1978（昭和53）年11月30日初刷発行
Typed in by 菅野朋子. Proofread by noriko saito.
Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, and replaced classical grammar with its modern form.
The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnAn old man with a toothache searches for money, finds eggs that he mistakes for coins, but they hatch into chicks. He sells the chicks to a young lady, then visits a dentist who implies he needs an eye doctor.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| おぢいさん (おじいさん) | old man; grandfather |
|---|---|
| ひよつ子 (ひよこ) | chick; baby chicken |
| 十銭銀貨 (じっせんぎんか) | ten-sen silver coin |
| おぢやうさん (おじょうさん) | young lady; daughter |
| 貧乏 (びんぼう) | poverty; poor |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～て仕方がない N3Cannot help but do; extremely; very much (expressing strong emotion or state)歯が痛くて仕方がない
- ～かも知れない N4Might; maybe; perhaps一銭位おちてゐるかも知れない
- ～てみる N4Try doing somethingほじくつて見ました
- ～とする（～うとする） N4Try to; attempt toお医者に行かうとしました
- ～てしまう N4Complete something; do something regrettable持つて行つてしまひました
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Historic Currency: SenSen (銭) was a unit of currency in Japan before the yen was decimalized. 100 sen = 1 yen. Ten-sen silver coins were in circulation during the Meiji period. This story highlights the old man's poverty, as he cannot even find a single sen.
- Folk Tale Motif: Mistaken IdentityThe story uses a common folk tale motif where the protagonist misperceives something (eggs as coins) leading to a humorous situation. The twist at the end (dentist suggesting an eye doctor) adds a moral about perception.
- Traditional Medical PracticesThe old man uses a bandage (繃帯) on his cheek for a toothache and visits a dentist. The story reflects a time when healthcare was not easily accessible for the poor, and folk remedies were common.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did the old man think the eggs were coins?
- He was near-sighted and wanted money badly.
- He was old and confused.
- The eggs were shiny like coins.
- He had never seen coins before.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the historical spelling (e.g., ゐる instead of いる, 言ひました instead of 言いました). These are older orthography but pronounced the same.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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