作品Free Graded Reading
こがらしの ふく ばんThe Night the Cold Wind Blows
Kogarashi no Fuku Ban
by 小川 未明 · Ogawa Mimei
A mysterious bell rings in the cold night. Ghost or real?
About this story
A family hears a bell on a cold night and discovers a rickshaw outside.
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 Juki.
Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.
The furigana are Yomimaru's.
What you'll learn
On a long winter night, a family sitting around a brazier hears a mysterious ringing sound. They speculate about its source, eventually discovering it is a rickshaw passing by.
Key vocabulary
| 火ばち (ひばち) | charcoal brazier |
|---|---|
| ちょうちん | lantern |
| 人力車 (じんりきしゃ) | rickshaw |
| しんぼう | rickshaw handle |
| こがらし | cold wintry wind |
Grammar points you'll meet
- ~ています N5Indicates an ongoing action or state.おかあさんは おしごとを なさって います。
- ~ながら N4While doing an action, simultaneously doing another.きょうだいは 火ばちに あたりながら、くりを たべて いました。
- ~だろう N4Expresses supposition or question, casual form of でしょう.「リンリン リンって、なんの 音だろう。」
- ~でしょう N5Polite supposition or suggestion.「ねずみが おかってへ でて、なべに さわったのでしょう。」
- ~てくる / ~ていく N4Indicates movement towards speaker (くる) or away (いく). Here かけだしてくると: runs towards and comes.そのうち こちらへ かけだして くると、リンリン リンと、しんぼうに はめた かねの わが なりました。
Cultural notes
- Charcoal Brazier (火ばち)Traditional Japanese heating device used before modern heaters. Families would sit around it to keep warm, often roasting snacks like chestnuts.
- Rickshaw (人力車)A traditional mode of transport pulled by a person. Common in Japan until the early 20th century. The ringing sound is from a bell on the handle.
Try a comprehension question
What is the family doing when they first hear the ringing sound?
- Eating chestnuts around a brazier
- Playing outside
- Sleeping
- Reading a book
Sensei's reading tip
Look for repeated sounds like リンリン to identify onomatopoeia.
Topics & grammar
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