作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

キャラメルと飴玉Caramel and Candy

Kyarameru to Amedama

by 夢野 久作 · Yumeno Kyūsaku

JLPT N3Short StoryQuiz ready

Caramel and candy argue about who's better, sparking a hilarious candy war.

About this story

A caramel and a candy argue about which is better inside a candy box.

Read a sample in Japanese

キャラメルと飴あめ玉だまとがお菓子かし箱ばこのうちで喧嘩けんかをはじめました。「ヤイ、飴あめ玉だまの間抜まぬけ野郎やろう。貴様きさまはまん丸まるくて甘あまったるいばかりで何なににもならないじゃないか。俺おれなんぞ見みろ。ちゃんと着物きものを着きて四角しかくいおうちにはいっているんだぞ。貴様きさまなんぞは着物きものなんか欲ほしくたって持もたないだろう。態たいをみろヤーイ」飴あめ玉だまは真赤まっかになって憤いきどおり出だしました。「失敬しっけいなことを言いうな。うちにいる時ときは裸はだかだけど、外そとに出でる時ときにゃちゃんと三角さんかくの紙かみの着物きものを着きて行いくんだ。第だい一いち貴様きさまの名前なまえが生意気なまいきだ。キャラメルなんて高慢こうまんチキな面めんをしやがって、日本にっぽんにいるのならもっと日本にっぽんらしい名前なまえをつけろ」「こん畜生ちくしょう、横着おうちゃくな事ことを言いう。キャラメルが悪わるけりゃあカステイラは西にし班はん牙きばの言葉ことばだぞ。シュークリームでもワッフルでも良よいが、菓子かしにはみんな西洋せいようの名前なまえが付ついているんだ。あめだのせんべいなぞ言いうのはみんな安やすっぽい美味うまくないお菓子かしばかりだ」「嘘うそを吐はけ。
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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): 「夢野久作全集7」三一書房
1970(昭和45)年1月31日第1版第1刷発行
1992(平成4)年2月29日第1版第12刷発行

Typed in by 川山隆. Proofread by 土屋隆.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.

What you'll learn

Caramel and candy drop start arguing in a candy box, insulting each other about their shapes, names, and ingredients. Their friends join the fight, leading to a chaotic mess. A boy discovers them and calls his mother, who breaks all the candies apart with a hammer so they can be eaten.

Language difficultyIntermediate · 45/100

Key vocabulary

喧嘩けんかquarrel, fight
間抜まぬけ野郎やろうfool, idiot
着物きものkimono, clothing
高慢こうまんチキarrogant, stuck-up
羊羹ようかんyōkan (sweet bean jelly)

Grammar points you'll meet

  • ~たって (contraction of ~ても) N3Even if... (casual)
  • ~てしまう (to do something completely, regrettably) N4Indicates completion or an unfortunate event.
  • ~やがる (vulgar suffix indicating contempt) N1Do (with disdain) - used after verb masu-stem.

Cultural notes

  • Japanese Sweets (菓子)The story mentions various traditional Japanese sweets like 元禄 (Genroku), 西郷玉 (Saigōdama), 花林糖 (karintō), 有平糖 (arameitō), 羊羹 (yōkan), and コンペイトウ (konpeitō). These are classic confections often enjoyed as snacks or gifts.
  • お菓子箱 (Snack Box)In Japanese households, snack boxes (お菓子箱) are common for storing various sweets. The concept of candies arguing inside reflects a playful personification of inanimate objects, a common literary device in children's stories.

Try a comprehension question

What do the candies argue about?

  1. Which one is tastier
  2. Their shapes, names, and ingredients
  3. Who is the strongest
  4. How to escape the box
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Sensei's reading tip

Focus on the dialogues to understand character traits; note the use of rough language (e.g., 貴様, こん畜生) indicating a quarrel.

Topics & grammar

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