作品Free Graded Reading
にはとり は みんな しあわせAll the Chickens Are Happy
Niwatori wa minna shiawase
by 村山 籌子 · Murayama Kazuko
Eight eggs hatch and the chicks grow into happy chickens.
About this story
A mother hen's eggs hatch one by one, and the chicks joyfully join her.
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): 「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 3 parts.
What you'll learn
Eight eggs hatch into chicks. The mother hen calls them to food. The chicks grow into chickens, but one rooster develops an exceptionally large comb. He crows magnificently, while the hens can only cluck. The hens lay eggs and sing about it, and the rooster agrees, and they all live happily.
Key vocabulary
| たまご | egg |
|---|---|
| ひよこ | chick |
| めんどり | hen |
| おんどり | rooster |
| とさか | cockscomb (crest on head) |
Grammar points you'll meet
- ~があります N5Used to indicate existence of inanimate objects. Here 'there are (eggs)'.あるところに、にはとりのたまごが 八つありました。
- ~ています N5Indicates ongoing state. 'are inside'.そのなかには、ひよつこが はいつてゐます。
- ~から N5Indicates reason. 'because'.あとの にわとりは みんな、めんどりだつたからです。
Cultural notes
- Barnyard Sounds in JapaneseThis story uses rich onomatopoeia: コツツン (pecking), メリメリ (cracking), ピーツク (chick cheep), コケコツコ / コケコツコー (rooster crow). These are culturally specific sound words that differ from English.
- Historical Kana UsageThe text uses pre-WWII kana orthography, e.g., ゐ (wi) instead of い, を pronounced 'o' but written 'wo', うへ (ue), ゐます (imasu). This reflects older Japanese writing.
Try a comprehension question
How many eggs were there at the beginning of the story?
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
Sensei's reading tip
Read aloud to practice Japanese onomatopoeia and rhythm.
Topics & grammar
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- How to read a JLPT passage under timeStudy guide · reading strategy
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