作品Free Graded Reading
からすねこと ペルシャねこThe Crow Cat and the Persian Cat
Karasu Neko to Perusha Neko
by 小川 未明 · Ogawa Mimei
A crow cat meets a Persian cat and learns a lesson about bluffing.
About this story
A proud crow cat tries to bully a newcomer Persian cat but gets a surprising lesson in humility.
Read a sample in Japanese
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): 「定本小川未明童話全集 16」講談社
1978(昭和53)年2月10日第1刷発行
1982(昭和57)年9月10日第5刷発行
Typed in by 特定非営利活動法人はるかぜ. Proofread by 笹平健一.
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.
What you'll learn
An old crow-cat meets a Persian cat and tries to intimidate it, but when a bulldog appears, the Persian cat reveals the dog is his protector, causing the crow-cat to flee.
Key vocabulary
| からすねこ | crow-cat (a black cat) |
|---|---|
| ペルシャねこ | Persian cat |
| ブルドッグ | bulldog |
| うろつく | to prowl; to roam around |
| にらむ | to glare; to stare down |
Grammar points you'll meet
- ~そうだ (appearance/hearsay) N4Used to describe how something appears or seems, or to convey hearsay. Attached to the stem of verbs and adjectives.つよそうな ブルドッグが きました。
- ~てしまう N4Indicates completion of an action, often with a nuance of regret or finality. In casual speech, becomes '~ちゃう'.ブルドッグは あちらへ いって しまいました。
- ~たら (conditional) N4Used to express a conditional 'if/when'. Attached to the past tense of verbs and adjectives.おいしい ものが あったら わたしの ところへ もって おいで。
- ~ている (progressive/state) N5Indicates an ongoing action or a resultant state. Formed by adding 'ている' to the te-form of a verb.年とった からすねこが いじの わるい 目つきを して、あるいて いました。
Try a comprehension question
What did the crow-cat tell the Persian cat to do?
- Bring good food to him.
- Leave the area immediately.
- Introduce him to the bulldog.
- Go away and never come back.
Sensei's reading tip
Focus on the dialogue to understand character relationships.
Topics & grammar
同級More at N4
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