📖 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 walking outside.
さくらとすみれが、
外を歩いている。
Sakura to Sumire ga,
soto o aruite iru.
The grass
is a little wet.
草の葉、
ちょっと濡れてる。
Kusa no ha,
chotto nureteru.
Hachi-sensei was talking about yesterday.
ハチ先生が言ってたやつだ。
Hachi-sensei ga itteta yatsu da.
this is what “Kanro”
feels like.
こういう感じなのかな。
kō iu kanji na no kana.
when mornings and evenings get cooler,
and even the dew starts to feel cold.
露にも冷たさを感じる頃、
って言ってたね。
tsuyu ni mo tsumetasa o kanjiru koro,
tte itteta ne.
it was just a word on the calendar…
But today,
it’s really out here. 😊
カレンダーの言葉だったのに……
今日は、
ちゃんと外にある😊
karendā no kotoba datta noni…
Kyō wa,
chanto soto ni aru. 😊
Once you know about it,
it looks a little different, doesn’t it?
知ってから見ると、
少し違って見えるよね。
Shitte kara miru to,
sukoshi chigatte mieru yo ne.
Before,
I probably would have just thought,
“The leaves are wet.”
今までなら、
ただ「葉っぱが濡れてる」って
思ってただけかも。
Ima made nara,
tada “happa ga nureteru” tte
omotteta dake kamo.
maybe it becomes easier
to notice the little changes
in the seasons.
季節の小さな変化にも
気づきやすくなるのかもしれないね。
kisetsu no chiisana henka ni mo
kizukiyasuku naru no kamo shirenai ne.
“Kanro” feels
a little more familiar than yesterday. 😊
寒露って、
昨日よりちょっと身近になったかも😊
Kanro tte,
kinō yori chotto mijika ni natta kamo. 😊
💭 Story Note
### Kanro and Morning Dew
「寒露」(Kanro) does not simply mean
“morning dew.”
Morning dew is the moisture
you may see on grass or leaves
in the early morning.
Kanro, however,
is the name of one of Japan’s
traditional seasonal divisions.
The word includes the kanji
「寒」(cold) and 「露」(dew),
so it brings to mind
the feeling of cooler air
and colder dew
as autumn moves forward.
In this story,
Sakura sees real dew
after learning the word Kanro.
The dew itself is not “Kanro,”
but the scene helps her
feel the meaning of the seasonal word
a little more clearly.
📚 Vocabulary
Here are some words and expressions from this story.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| dew | 露 | tsuyu |
| to get cooler | 涼しくなる | suzushiku naru |
| a small change | 小さな変化 | chiisana henka |
| to look different | 違って見える | chigatte mieru |
| familiar / closer to you | 身近 | mijika |
「身近」(mijika)
describes something that feels
close or familiar to you.
It does not always mean
physically close.
Something can become 「身近」
when you understand it better
or begin to feel a connection to it.
For example:
「英語が身近になった。」
Eigo ga mijika ni natta.
“English feels more familiar now.”
「自然を身近に感じる。」
Shizen o mijika ni kanjiru.
“To feel close to nature.”
In this story,
Sakura says:
「寒露って、
昨日よりちょっと身近になったかも。」
She does not mean that Kanro
became physically closer.
She means that after seeing the dew
and understanding the seasonal word,
Kanro now feels more familiar to her.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s word is:
「身近」(mijika)
Try mixing it into English.
“English feels more 身近 now.”
“This seasonal word feels
a little more 身近 to me.”
Here, 「身近」 does not mean
physically near.
It has the feeling of something
becoming more familiar
or feeling closer to you.
In this story,
Kanro becomes a little more 身近
to Sakura after she sees the dew
and understands the word better. 😊
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