蟹のしょうばいThe Crab's Barber Business

Read a sample in Japanese

What you'll learn

The crab starts a barber shop but has no customers. He visits the octopus (no hair) and then the tanuki, who tricks him into shaving his father. The crab works hard but eventually recruits all his descendants to help, explaining why all crabs have scissors.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～あげく N2After doing something (often negative outcome)
  蟹がいろいろ考えたあげく、とこやをはじめました。
• ～と申しますのは N4That is to say (humble, explanatory)
  と申しますのは、ひとりもお客さんがこないからであります。
• ～というものは N4The thing called (topic marker)
  ところで、蟹というものは、あまり大きなものではありません。
• ～かどうか N4Whether or not
  よくごらんよ。わたしの頭に毛があるかどうか。
• ～ことにする N4Decide to
  蟹は、じぶんの子どもたちをみなとこやにしました。

Cultural notes

• Japanese Folk Tales (Mukashibanashi)This story is a classic Japanese folk tale featuring animals with human traits. Tanuki (raccoon dogs) are common tricksters, and crabs often appear in tales explaining natural phenomena. Here, the story explains why crabs have scissors-like claws.
• Onomatopoeia in JapaneseThe word 'ちょっきん' is a mimetic word representing the sound of scissors cutting. Japanese uses many such sound effects to enrich descriptions.

Try a comprehension question

Topics & grammar

Short Storychildrenfolkloreresourcefulnesshumorhumorousheartwarming〜かどうかwhether or not〜ことにするdecide to