📖 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
While they are out shopping,
the smell of roasted sweet potatoes drifts over.
買い物をしていると、
どこからか焼き芋の匂いがしてきた。
Kaimono o shite iru to,
dokokara ka yakiimo no nioi ga shite kita.
Isn’t this smell
a little unfair?
この匂い、
ずるくない？
Kono nioi,
zurukunai?
…Oh,
roasted sweet potatoes?
……あ、
焼き芋？
……A,
yakiimo?
I haven’t even seen them yet,
and now I want one.
まだ見てもいないのに、
食べたくなってきた。
Mada mite mo inai noni,
tabetaku natte kita.
just from the smell. 🤣
負けてるじゃん🤣
maketeru jan. 🤣
With roasted sweet potatoes,
the smell gets to you first, right?
焼き芋って、
匂いが先に来るでしょ？
Yakiimo tte,
nioi ga saki ni kuru desho?
I’m not hungry,
I still go,
“Oh… roasted sweet potatoes…”
お腹すいてなくても、
「あ、焼き芋……」
ってなるの。
onaka suite nakute mo,
“A, yakiimo……”
tte naru no.
a little unfair, isn’t it?
ちょっとずるいよね。
chotto zurui yo ne.
the sweet potatoes did anything wrong. 🤣
罪はないと思うけど🤣
tsumi wa nai to omou kedo. 🤣
Want to go
just take a look?
ちょっと見るだけ
行ってみる？
chotto miru dake
itte miru?
right before they buy one. 🤣
買う人の言い方だよね🤣
kau hito no iikata da yo ne. 🤣
💭 Story Note
In Japan,
roasted sweet potatoes are called
「焼き芋」(yakiimo).
They are especially popular
in autumn and winter.
Yakiimo are often made
from Japanese sweet potatoes,
which become soft and sweet
when slowly roasted.
You may find them
at supermarkets,
specialty shops,
or sometimes from mobile vendors.
For many people in Japan,
the warm smell of yakiimo
is closely connected
with the feeling of autumn.
That is why
just smelling roasted sweet potatoes
can make someone suddenly want to eat one.
It is not only about food.
The smell itself
can feel like a small sign
that autumn has arrived.
📚 Vocabulary
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| roasted sweet potato | 焼き芋 | yakiimo |
| smell | 匂い | nioi |
| unfair / sneaky | ずるい | zurui |
| to become hungry / to be hungry | お腹がすく | onaka ga suku |
「ずるい」(zurui)
can mean “unfair,”
“sneaky,” or “not fair.”
But in casual conversation,
it is often used more playfully.
For example,
when something is so tempting
that it feels almost unfair,
you might say:
「この匂い、ずるくない？」
Kono nioi, zurukunai?
“Isn’t this smell a little unfair?”
You are not seriously accusing
the smell of doing something wrong.
It is more like saying,
“That’s not fair!
Now I want some!”
Another example:
「それ、ずるい！」
Sore, zurui!
“That’s not fair!”
The exact feeling of 「ずるい」
depends on the situation.
It can sound serious,
but between friends,
it can also be light,
playful, and teasing.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s word is 「ずるい」.
Try mixing it into English:
“This smell is ずるい!”
“That looks so good.
It’s ずるい!”
“Now I want one.
That’s ずるい!”
「ずるい」 can mean
“unfair.”
But between friends,
it can also sound playful.
In today’s story,
Sakura is not really angry.
She means something like:
“That’s not fair!
Now I want some!” 🤣
So you can connect:
ずるい
→ zurui
→ unfair
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