📖 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.
さくらとすみれが話している。
Sakura to Sumire ga hanashite iru.
Bears eat
acorns, right?
クマって、
どんぐり食べるんだよね？
Kuma tte,
donguri taberu n da yo ne?
They’re one of their important foods in autumn.
秋の大事な食べ物のひとつだね。
Aki no daiji na tabemono no hitotsu da ne.
eat acorns too?
人も食べられるの？
hito mo taberareru no?
can be eaten.
食べられるよ。
taberareru yo.
you don’t just eat them as they are.
Some need
the bitterness removed
and proper preparation first.
そのまま食べるんじゃなくて、
アクを抜いたり、
ちゃんと下ごしらえが必要なものもあるの。
sono mama taberu n janakute,
aku o nuitari,
chanto shitagoshirae ga hitsuyō na mono mo aru no.
So,
you don’t eat them
right after picking them up.
じゃあ、
拾ってすぐ食べるものじゃないんだ。
Jā,
hirotte sugu taberu mono janai n da.
If bears can eat them,
people can too, right?
クマが食べられるなら、
人も食べられるんだよね？
Kuma ga taberareru nara,
hito mo taberareru n da yo ne?
thinking about that? 🤣
まだ気になってたの？🤣
mada ki ni natteta no? 🤣
💭 Story Note
In Japan,
acorns are familiar autumn nuts.
They are also an important autumn food
for some bears.
But bears are not the only ones
that have eaten acorns.
People in Japan
have also used acorns as food
for a long time.
For example,
in parts of Iwate Prefecture,
acorns are called 「しだみ」(shidami).
A traditional local food
called 「しだみだんご」(shidami dango)
is made from prepared acorns.
In the past,
acorns were especially valuable
because they could be dried and stored
as food when crops were poor.
Many acorns are bitter or astringent,
so they need careful preparation,
such as removing the bitterness,
before people eat them.
Today,
shidami dango is not an everyday food,
but the tradition is still passed down
in some communities.
So the little acorns
we see on the ground in autumn
have been food for both animals
and people.
📚 Vocabulary
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| acorn | どんぐり | donguri |
| depending on the kind | 種類によっては | shurui ni yotte wa |
| to remove bitterness / astringency | アクを抜く | aku o nuku |
| preparation before cooking | 下ごしらえ | shitagoshirae |
「どんぐり」(donguri)
means “acorn.”
In Japan,
どんぐり are familiar autumn nuts
that people often see
under oak trees and along paths.
The word is also familiar
to many Japanese people
from childhood.
For example:
「どんぐりを拾った。」
Donguri o hirotta.
“I picked up some acorns.”
「どんぐりが落ちている。」
Donguri ga ochite iru.
“There are acorns on the ground.”
When you hear 「どんぐり」,
you may imagine
a small brown autumn nut
lying on the ground.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s word is 「どんぐり」.
Try mixing it into English:
“There are どんぐり
on the ground.”
“Bears eat どんぐり
in autumn.”
“I found a どんぐり
on my walk.”
「どんぐり」 means “acorn.”
Many people in Japan
also know the familiar phrase
「どんぐりころころ」
from childhood.
So when you see
a little brown acorn
on the ground,
you can connect:
どんぐり
→ donguri
→ acorn 🌰
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