作品Free Graded Reading
くさい たこThe Stinky Octopus
by Yomimaru
JLPT BeginnerShort StoryQuiz ready
A silly story about a stinky octopus and a squid.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA small octopus has smelly legs and buys shoes, which immediately become smelly too. A squid complains about the odor, but the octopus just smiles.
Language difficultyBeginner · Level 1 · 2/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| たこ | octopus |
|---|---|
| くさい | smelly, stinky |
| えがお | smiling face, smile |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～がいます N5Used to show the existence of an animate subject. Here, 'いた' is the past-tense casual form of 'いる'.ちいさいたこがいた。
- ～という N5Used to quote speech or thoughts. 'といかった' or 'といった' means 'said'.「くさい!」といかがいった。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Humorous Imagery of AnimalsJapanese children's stories and beginner texts often feature personified sea creatures like octopuses (たこ) and squids (いか). The idea of an octopus with many smelly feet buying shoes is a silly, whimsical image designed to entertain readers.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did the shoes become smelly?
- Because the squid made them dirty.
- Because the octopus's legs were smelly.
- Because they fell in the sea.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to particle omission: 'くつかった' is a casual contraction of 'くつ（を）かった' (bought shoes).
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japaneseちいさい たこ が いた。あし が おおい。あし が くさい!たこ が くつ かった。くつ が くさい!「くさい!」 と いか が いった。たこ が えがお だった。
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