What JLPT level is 三匹のこぐまさん?

三匹のこぐまさん is suitable for JLPT N4 level readers (estimated JLPT N4).

How long does 三匹のこぐまさん take to read?

三匹のこぐまさん takes about 3 minutes (around 171 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

三匹　の　こぐまさんThree Little Bear Cubs

Q: What JLPT level is 三匹 の こぐまさん?

三匹 の こぐまさん is suitable for JLPT N4 level readers (estimated JLPT N4).

Q: How long does 三匹 の こぐまさん take to read?

三匹 の こぐまさん takes about 3 minutes (around 171 words) to read at a learner's pace.

Sanbiki no Koguma-san

by 村山籌子 · Murayama Kazuko

JLPT N4Short StoryClassical / archaic

Three little bear cubs help a duck find a lost potato in a pot.

About this story

Three little bear cubs help a duck find a missing potato in this simple animal story.

Read a sample in Japanese

一あひるさんのところへ、三匹のこぐまさんが遊びに行きますと、あひるさんは、なんだか、しきりに、さがしものをしていました。二あひるさんは、三匹のこぐまさんに、言いました。「今、お隣の畑村から、じゃがいもさんが、遊びに来ていたのですが、急にいなくなったのです。探してください。」三三匹のこぐまさんは、それを聞いて、あちこち探しました。けれども、見つかりませんでした。すると、一匹のこぐまさんが、パンと手を打って言いました。「きっと、お鍋の中だ。お鍋の中だ。」四そこで、みんな、走って、台所へ行って、お鍋のふたを取りましたら、その中に、じゃがいもさんがいました。お湯でゆだったので、じゃがいもさんは色が真っ白になって、以前よりも、美しくなりましたので、みんな大喜び。

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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): 「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 rewrote this all-katakana text in the hiragana and kanji a modern edition would use. It also replaced some archaic words with modern ones, and rephrased some sentences, keeping their meaning.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

Three little bears visit a duck who is searching for a missing potato. They look everywhere and one bear guesses it's in the pot. They find the potato boiled and beautifully white.

Language difficultyBeginner · 10/100

Key vocabulary

アヒルサン	Mr./Ms. Duck
コグマサン	Little bear (honorific)
ヂヤガイモサン	Mr. Potato
サガシモノ	something lost; search object
オナベ	pot

Grammar points you'll meet

～ます/～ました N5Polite present/past tense verb ending
アヒルサンハ、ナンダカ　シキリニ、サガシモノヲシテヰマシタ
～てください N5Polite request: please do ~
サガシテ下サイ
～たら N4Conditional: if/when ~ happens
オナベノフタヲトリマシタラ、ソノナカニ、ジヤガイモサンガヰマシタ
～のです N4Explanatory emphasis: it is that ~
キウニヰナクナツタノデス

Cultural notes

Personification of Animals and ObjectsIn Japanese children's literature, animals and even objects like potatoes are often given honorific titles 'さん' (san) and treated as characters. This story uses 'アヒルサン' (Mr. Duck) and 'ヂヤガイモサン' (Mr. Potato), reflecting a common cultural trope.

Try a comprehension question

What was the duck doing when the bears arrived?

Cooking dinner
Searching for something
Sleeping
Reading a book

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Sensei's reading tip

The text is written entirely in katakana, which may be unfamiliar for learners used to hiragana. Try sounding out each katakana character to recognize words like アヒル (ahiru = duck).