作品Free Graded Reading
オヤカン ト オナベ ト フライパン ノ ケンクワThe Quarrel of the Pot, the Pan, and the Frying Pan
Oyakan to Onabe to Furaipan no Kenkuwa
by 村山 籌子 · Murayama Kazuko
A silly quarrel among kitchen pots and pans.
About this story
A rhythmic tale of kitchen utensils squabbling and getting burnt over a stove.
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 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
The poem describes a frying pan, pot, and kettle cooking. Initially, they are boiling and shining. Then the frying pan becomes black and angry, and eventually everything gets burnt, ending with sizzling sounds.
Key vocabulary
| フライパン | frying pan |
|---|---|
| オヤカン | kettle or pot lid |
| オナベ | pot |
| グツグツ | boiling sound |
| ピカピカ | shiny; sparkling |
Grammar points you'll meet
- ~て (conjunctive) N5The て form of verbs is used to connect clauses, indicate sequence, or add explanation.
フライパンハ オコツテ オコツテ
- ~も N5Particle meaning 'also' or 'too'.
オヤカンモ マツクロ
- ~ている N5Indicates ongoing state or continuous action.
フライパンモ コゲコゲコゲツイテ
Cultural notes
- Japanese Onomatopoeia in CookingJapanese uses many onomatopoeic words (giongo/gitaigo) to describe sounds and states. In cooking, sounds like グツグツ (gutsugutsu) for boiling, ピチチリ (pichichiri) for sizzling, and ピカピカ (pikapika) for shining are common. This poem uses them to personify kitchen utensils.
Try a comprehension question
Sensei's reading tip
Focus on the onomatopoeic words as they carry the action and mood.
Topics & grammar
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