📖 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 were looking outside and talking.
さくらとすみれが、外を眺めながら話している。
Sakura to Sumire ga, soto o nagamenagara hanashite iru.
where does autumn come from?
どこからくるのかな？
doko kara kuru no kana?
What made you ask that all of a sudden?
どうしたの？ 急に。
Dōshita no? Kyū ni.
it gets a little cooler in autumn, right?
すこーし涼しくなるよね。
sukōshi suzushiku naru yo ne.
it doesn’t suddenly get cooler
just because we say, “Autumn starts today,” right?
今日から秋ですーって、
急に涼しくなるわけじゃないでしょ？
kyō kara aki desū tte,
kyū ni suzushiku naru wake janai desho?
where does autumn
begin first? 🤔
最初に秋になるのって、
どこなんだろう？🤔
saisho ni aki ni naru no tte,
doko nan darō? 🤔
now I see what you mean. 😊
そういうことね😊
sō iu koto ne. 😊
and cooler air
spreads down from the north, meow.
The boundary between them
also slowly moves south
as the season changes, meow.
北から涼しい空気が
広がってくるにゃ。
その境目も、
季節と一緒に少しずつ
南へ動いていくにゃ。
kita kara suzushii kūki ga
hirogatte kuru nya.
Sono sakaime mo,
kisetsu to issho ni sukoshi zutsu
minami e ugoite iku nya.
So autumn
comes little by little.
じゃあ秋って、
少しずつやってくるんだ。
Jā aki tte,
sukoshi zutsu yatte kuru n da.
The wind gets a little cooler,
and the sky starts to feel different.
You begin to hear insects,
and the sun sets a little earlier.
Those small changes come together,
and little by little, autumn arrives, meow.
風が少し涼しくなったり、
空の感じが変わったり。
虫の声が聞こえたり、
日が暮れるのが早くなったり。
そんな小さな変化が重なって、
秋になっていくにゃ。
Kaze ga sukoshi suzushiku nattari,
sora no kanji ga kawattari.
Mushi no koe ga kikoetari,
hi ga kureru no ga hayaku nattari.
Sonna chiisana henka ga kasanatte,
aki ni natte iku nya.
there isn’t really a place
where we can say,
“Autumn starts here!” 😊
「ここから秋！」
っていう場所が
あるわけじゃないんだね😊
“Koko kara aki!”
tte iu basho ga
aru wake janai n da ne. 😊
So it’s not really,
“Autumn starts today!”
either. 😊
じゃあ、
「今日から秋です！」
でもないんだ😊
Jā,
“Kyō kara aki desu!”
demo nai n da. 😊
there are more and more
little signs of autumn.
秋が少しずつ
増えてるのかもね。
aki ga sukoshi zutsu
fueteru no kamo ne.
once again.
外の景色を眺めた。
soto no keshiki o nagameta.
💭 Story Note
In Japan, the arrival of autumn is often noticed through small changes in everyday life.
The air may begin to feel cooler, the sky can look different, and the sounds of insects become more noticeable in the evening.
The sun also begins to set earlier as the season changes.
There is no single moment when everyone suddenly feels,
“Autumn starts today.”
Instead, these small signs gradually appear,
and people begin to notice that autumn is quietly arriving.
📚 Vocabulary
Here are five words and expressions from today’s story.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| autumn | 秋 | aki |
| cool / refreshing | 涼しい | suzushii |
| little by little / gradually | 少しずつ | sukoshi zutsu |
| the sound of insects | 虫の声 | mushi no koe |
| the sun sets / it gets dark | 日が暮れる | hi ga kureru |
**少しずつ（すこしずつ／sukoshi zutsu）** means “little by little” or “gradually.”
It is used when something changes or progresses in small amounts over time, rather than all at once.
秋が少しずつ近づいてきた。
Aki ga sukoshi zutsu chikazuite kita.
Autumn is getting closer little by little.
少しずつ涼しくなってきたね。
Sukoshi zutsu suzushiku natte kita ne.
It is gradually getting cooler, isn’t it?
少しずつ is a very natural expression in everyday Japanese.
It can be used for changes in the weather, learning, feelings, habits, and many other things that happen step by step.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s expression is **少しずつ（sukoshi zutsu）**.
You do not need to make a complete Japanese sentence yet.
Try mixing **少しずつ** into your usual English sentences.
It is getting cooler 少しずつ.
I am learning Japanese 少しずつ.
The seasons change 少しずつ.
As you use the word,
try to feel its meaning:
something changes or grows
in small steps,
not all at once.
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