📖 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 talking together.
さくらとすみれが話している。
Sakura to Sumire ga hanashite iru.
feels very autumn-like, doesn’t it?
秋っぽいよね。
aki ppoi yo ne.
Somehow,
it feels like an autumn night. 😊
なんとなく、
秋の夜って感じがする😊
Nantonaku,
aki no yoru tte kanji ga suru 😊
why do we say “voice”
instead of “sound”?
なんで「音」じゃなくて、
「声」なんだろう？
Nande “oto” janakute,
“koe” nan darō?
Now that you mention it,
we also say “the sound of insects.”
言われてみれば、
「虫の音」ともいうよね。
Iwarete mireba,
“mushi no ne” tomo iu yo ne.
and sometimes it’s “voice.”
Which one is it? 🤔
声だったり。
どっちなんだろう？🤔
koe dattari.
Dotchi nan darō? 🤔
to the sounds of insects
and felt the changing seasons,
or written about them in songs and haiku, nya.
虫の鳴く音を聞いて、
季節を感じたり、
歌や俳句に詠んだりしてきたにゃ。
mushi no naku oto o kiite,
kisetsu o kanjitari,
uta ya haiku ni yondari shite kita nya.
In haiku,
“insects” are one of the seasonal words
that represent autumn.
俳句では、
「虫」は秋を表す
季語のひとつにゃ。
Haiku de wa,
“mushi” wa aki o arawasu
kigo no hitotsu nya.
So just hearing the phrase
“the voice of insects”
can make us feel autumn. 😊
だから「虫の声」って聞くだけでも、
秋を感じるんだね😊
Dakara “mushi no koe” tte kiku dake demo,
aki o kanjiru n da ne 😊
can bring the whole season to mind.
季節まで浮かんでくるんだ。
kisetsu made ukande kuru n da.
Sometimes,
a short word can hold
the scenery and feeling of a whole season.
短い言葉の中に、
季節の景色や空気まで
入っていることがあるにゃ。
Mijikai kotoba no naka ni,
kisetsu no keshiki ya kūki made
haitte iru koto ga aru nya.
“The voice of insects”
isn’t just an autumn sound.
It’s also a phrase
that makes us think of autumn. 😊
「虫の声」って、
秋の音だけじゃなくて、
秋を思い浮かべる
ことばでもあるんだね😊
“Mushi no koe” tte,
aki no oto dake janakute,
aki o omoiukaberu
kotoba demo aru n da ne 😊
could feel autumn slowly drawing closer.
少しずつ近づいてきた秋を感じていた。
sukoshi zutsu chikazuite kita aki o kanjite ita.
💭 Story Note
In Japanese, the sounds made by insects are sometimes described as
虫の声（むしのこえ / mushi no koe）,
literally, “the voice of insects.”
The word 声（こえ / koe） usually means “voice,”
so this expression may sound a little unusual in English.
In Japan, people have long listened to the sounds of insects
as one of the signs of autumn.
In haiku, 虫（むし / mushi） can also be used as an autumn seasonal word,
or 季語（きご / kigo）.
A kigo does more than name a season.
A short word can bring to mind a whole scene:
the evening air,
the sound of insects,
and the feeling that autumn is drawing closer.
This is one example of how Japanese words can carry
not only a dictionary meaning,
but also a sense of season, atmosphere, and memory.
📚 Vocabulary
Here are five words and expressions from today’s story.
They are useful for talking about autumn, sounds, and seasonal expressions in Japanese.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| the voice of insects | 虫の声 | mushi no koe |
| the sound of insects | 虫の音 | mushi no ne |
| seasonal word | 季語 | kigo |
| haiku | 俳句 | haiku |
| autumn-like / feels like autumn | 秋っぽい | aki ppoi |
**虫の声（むしのこえ / mushi no koe）** literally means
“the voice of insects.”
In Japanese, 声（こえ / koe） usually means “voice,”
especially the voice of a person or animal.
So why can Japanese also say 虫の声?
When people listen to insects such as crickets in autumn,
the sound is often treated not simply as noise,
but as something to listen to and notice.
That is why Japanese can describe it as a “voice.”
You may also hear:
虫の音（むしのね / mushi no ne）
the sound of insects
Here, 音（ね / ne） means “sound.”
Both expressions can describe insect sounds,
but 虫の声 can feel a little more as though
the insects are “speaking” through the season.
For example:
虫の声が聞こえる。
Mushi no koe ga kikoeru.
I can hear the insects.
虫の声を聞くと、秋を感じる。
Mushi no koe o kiku to, aki o kanjiru.
When I hear the insects, I feel that autumn has come.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s expression is **虫の声（むしのこえ / mushi no koe）**.
You do not need to make
a complete Japanese sentence yet.
Try mixing **虫の声**
into English sentences you already understand.
I can hear 虫の声 outside.
虫の声 makes me think of autumn.
We heard 虫の声 this evening.
At first,
just treat **虫の声** as one complete expression.
It means
“the voice of insects,”
or the sounds of insects heard as a seasonal voice.
Try saying in your own words
what kind of scene you imagine
when you hear **虫の声**.
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