Hello,
This is the first article of the Japanese Short Stories series which will provide you with some Japanese reading along with grammar and vocabulary to help you discovering and understanding the text.
Let’s start with サルカニ合戦 (The Battle between the Monkey and the Crab)!
Based on the adaptation of the original script by e-hon.
You will find below a word by word text transcription, and at the end of this post a literal transcription.
サルカニ合戦
1 | サル | SARU | Monkey, here katakana is used to stress the term not only being the name of some kind of animal, but the name of a particular one. |
2 | カニ | KANI | Crab, see point 1 for use of katakana. |
3 | 合戦(がっせん) | gassen | battle |
むかし むかし、カニさん と サルさん が すんでいました。
4 | むかしむかし | mukashi mukashi | Once upon a time |
5 | -さん | -san | Suffix equivalent to Mr, Mrs, Miss. |
6 | と | to | Enclitic particle. Meaning “and” in an exhaustive listing of things or people. |
7 | が | ga | Enclitic particle. Indicates that what precedes is the subject of the sentence. |
8 | すんでいました | sundeimashita | Verb すむ (sumu) – to inhabit すんでいる (sunde iru): Ongoing state of being – to be living (in a place) すんでいました: Past tense – was/were living (in a place) |
ある 日、サルさん は かき の たね を ひろいました。
9 | ある | aru | “There exists”, here “There was” since the last verb of the sentence is at the past tense. |
10 | 日(ひ) | hi | a day |
11 | は | wa (and not ha) | Enclitic particle. Indicates that what precedes is the theme of the sentence. |
12 | かき | kaki | The kaki fruit. |
13 | の | no | Enclitic particle. AのB indicates that B belongs to A, like “B of A”. |
14 | たね | tane | seed |
15 | を | o (and not wo) | Enclitic particle. Indicates that what precedes is the object of the sentence. |
16 | ひろいました | hiroimashita | Verb ひろう (hiro-u) – to gather, to pick ひろいました: Past tense – was picking |
カニさん は おむすび を ひろいました。
17 | おむすび | omusubi | rice balls |
サルさん は、カニさん の おむすび が おいしそうな ので、カニさん に たのみました。
18 | おいしそう | oishisou | i-adjective: おいしい (oishii) – tasty おいしそう – to look tasty |
19 | -な | -na | Equivalent here to verb to be. Can be used to close a predicate in a sentence. |
20 | ので | node | Enclitic particle. Indicates that what precedes is the cause of what comes after. |
21 | に | ni | Enclitic particle. Here indicates that what precedes is the indirect object of the sentence. |
22 | たのみました | tanomimashita | Verb たのむ (tanomu) – to request, to ask たのみました (tanomimashita) requested, asked |
「カニさん カニさん、ぼく の かき の たね を あげる から、その おむすび と こうかん して おくれ よ」
23 | 「…」 | equivalent of double quotes: “…”. | |
24 | ぼく | boku | me (male language) |
25 | あげる | ageru | Verb あげる (ageru). To give to someone. |
26 | から | kara | because |
27 | その | sono | that |
28 | と | to | Enclitic particle. Here “with”. |
29 | こうかん | koukan | exchange |
30 | -して | shite | Verb する (suru) – to do. Here transforms what precedes into a verb こうかん して – to exchange |
31 | おくれ | okure | Verb おくる (okuru) – To do (for me), to offer (me). おくれ Imperative form Used to require someone to do something for us. |
32 | よ | yo | Enclitic particle. Indicates that the sentence is an affirmation. |
「いい よ、こうかん して あげる よ」
33 | いい | ii | good, OK |
34 | あげる | ageru | Verb あげる (ageru). To offer to someone. |
やさしい カニさん は、おむすび を サルさん に あげて、かき の たね を もらいました。
35 | やさしい | yasashii | i-Adjective. Kind. |
36 | あげて | agete | Verb あげる (ageru) – To offer to someone あげて – te-form of the verb is used in the middle of the sentence as in Japanes only the last occurence of the verb is conjugated in a succession of actions. |
37 | もらいました | moraimashita | Verb もらう (morau) – to receive from someone もらいました – received |
サルカニ合戦
むかし むかし、カニさん と サルさん が すんでいました。
ある 日、サルさん は かき の たね を ひろいました。
カニさん は おむすび を ひろいました。
サルさん は、カニさん の おむすび が おいしそうな ので、カニさん に たのみました。
「カニさん カニさん、ぼく の かき の たね を あげる から、その おむすび と こうかん して おくれ よ」
「いい よ、こうかん して あげる よ」
やさしい カニさん は、おむすび を サルさん に あげて、かき の たね を もらいました。
The Battle between the Monkey and the Crab
Once upon a time, there lived Mr Crab and Mr Monkey. One day, Mr Monkey was gathering kaki seeds. Mr Crab had picked rice balls. Because Mr Monkey found that Mr Crab’s rice balls were looking good, he asked him:
“Mr Crab, Mr Crab, I give you my kaki seeds, in exchange give me these rice balls!”
“All right, I will exchange them with you!”
The kind Mr Crab did give his rice balls to Mr Monkey, and received back the kaki seeds.
Here we are at the end of this first part.
Part 2 is here.
Do not hesitate to tell me what you like and what you don’t like about this article so that I can enhance it. Mr Crab was gathering rice balls.
Cheers,
Stéphane
Original text: http://www.e-hon.jp/bsaruka/sarj1.htm
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