📖 Study Guide
Learn Japanese through stories.
These stories include Japanese culture,
daily life, travel experiences,
and conversations between people.
1. Read the English text.
2. Read the Japanese text.
3. Use Romaji if needed.
4. Review the vocabulary.
🌸 Story
Sakura and Sumire are looking back on their summer.
さくらとすみれが、今年の夏を振り返っている。
Sakura to Sumire ga, kotoshi no natsu o furikaette iru.
Did you make any summer memories?
夏休みの思い出、できた？
Natsuyasumi no omoide, dekita?
Hmm…
うーん……
Ūn…
we didn’t go on any trips…
And we didn’t do anything
very special, did we?
旅行とかしてないし……
特別なこと、
あんまりしてないよね。
ryokō toka shite nai shi…
Tokubetsu na koto,
anmari shite nai yo ne.
saying, “It’s so hot!”
買い物に行ったり。
kaimono ni ittari.
And we laughed a lot
over silly little things. 😊
くだらないことで、
いっぱい笑ったり😊
Kudaranai koto de,
ippai warattari. 😊
I see.
Those can be memories, too. 😊
そっか。
そういうのも、
思い出なんだね😊
Sokka.
Sō iu no mo,
omoide nan da ne. 😊
Even if they aren’t special,
when we remember them later,
they’ll surely be summer memories.
特別じゃなくても、
あとで思い出したら、
きっと夏の思い出だよ。
Tokubetsu janakute mo,
ato de omoidashitara,
kitto natsu no omoide da yo.
Maybe I made a lot of them. 😊
いっぱいできたかも😊
Ippai dekita kamo. 😊
they looked back on their summer once more.
今年の夏をもう一度思い返した。
kotoshi no natsu o mō ichido omoikaeshita.
💭 Story Note
In Japan, summer vacation is often associated with travel,
festivals, fireworks, and other special events.
But the Japanese word 思い出 (omoide), meaning “memory,”
can also describe small moments that stay in the heart.
Eating something together, walking along a familiar road,
or laughing over something silly can become an important memory later.
This story reminds us that an ordinary day does not need to feel special
at the time to become precious in the future.
📚 Vocabulary
Here are some words and expressions from this story.
They are useful when talking about summer and memories.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| summer vacation | 夏休み | natsuyasumi |
| memory | 思い出 | omoide |
| special | 特別 | tokubetsu |
| together | 一緒に | issho ni |
| to laugh | 笑う | warau |
一緒に (issho ni) means “together” or “with someone.”
It is often placed before a verb to show that people do something together.
「一緒に食べよう。」
Issho ni tabeyō.
Let’s eat together.
「一緒に帰ろう。」
Issho ni kaerō.
Let’s go home together.
It can also be used by itself as a warm invitation:
「一緒に？」
Issho ni?
Together?
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
When learning a Japanese expression,
try mixing it into a sentence in your own language.
Today’s expression is 一緒に (issho ni), meaning “together.”
You do not have to make a perfect Japanese sentence right away.
Try placing 一緒に inside an English sentence:
・Let’s do this homework 一緒に.
・Do you want to walk 一緒に?
・Let’s have ice cream 一緒に.
The sentences may sound a little unusual, and that is okay.
If someone asks, “What does 一緒に mean?”
try explaining it in your own words:
“It means doing something with someone.”
If you can explain the feeling,
the expression is beginning to become your own.
Mix one Japanese expression into your language,
say it aloud, and enjoy discovering how it feels.
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