📖 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 looking at a calendar.
さくらとすみれ。
Sakura to Sumire.
It says “Sōkō”
on tomorrow’s date.
明日のところに、
「霜降」って書いてある。
Ashita no tokoro ni,
“Sōkō” tte kaite aru.
frost is going to fall
tomorrow?
明日、
霜が降るってこと？
Ashita,
shimo ga furu tte koto?
the kanji are
“frost” and “fall,” right?
「霜」が
「降る」でしょ？
“shimo” ga
“furu” desho?
it’ll be cold tomorrow.
寒いのかなぁ。
samui no kanā.
Tomorrow is “Sōkō,”
so will there be frost?
明日は「霜降」だから、
霜が降るの？
Ashita wa “Sōkō” dakara,
shimo ga furu no?
frost will definitely appear tomorrow, nya.
という意味ではないにゃ。
to iu imi de wa nai nya.
one of the twenty-four solar terms, nya.
It marks the time of year
when frost begins to appear.
It’s a seasonal guide, nya.
二十四節気のひとつにゃ。
霜が降り始めるころ、
そんな季節の目安を
表しているにゃ。
nijūshi sekki no hitotsu nya.
Shimo ga furihajimeru koro,
sonna kisetsu no meyasu o
arawashite iru nya.
So it doesn’t mean,
“Frost starts tomorrow!”
じゃあ、
「明日から霜です！」
っていう日じゃないんだ。
Jā,
“Ashita kara shimo desu!”
tte iu hi janai n da.
But just looking at the name
makes it sound cold. 🥶
でも、
名前を見るだけで寒そう🥶
Demo,
namae o miru dake de samusō. 🥶
moving toward winter, nya.
冬へ向かっていくにゃ。
fuyu e mukatte iku nya.
maybe I should
get my jacket out.
上着、
出しておこうかな。
uwagi,
dashite okō kana.
about changing clothes for the season yesterday. 🤣
衣替えの話したばっかりだもんね🤣
koromogae no hanashi shita bakkari da mon ne. 🤣
💭 Story Note
「霜降」 is read
「そうこう」(sōkō).
It is one of the
二十四節気 (nijūshi sekki),
the twenty-four traditional
seasonal divisions of the year.
Sōkō usually comes
around October 23.
The name suggests
the time of year
when frost begins to appear
as the weather becomes colder.
It does not mean
that frost will definitely appear
on that exact day.
There is also another Japanese word
written with the same kanji:
「霜降り」(shimofuri).
This is a different word.
For example,
「霜降り肉」(shimofuri niku)
means richly marbled meat.
So:
霜降 → sōkō
a seasonal term
霜降り → shimofuri
“marbled,” as in marbled meat
The same kanji
can have very different readings
and meanings in Japanese.
📚 Vocabulary
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Sōkō / Frost’s Descent | 霜降 | sōkō |
| twenty-four solar terms | 二十四節気 | nijūshi sekki |
| frost | 霜 | shimo |
| seasonal guide / seasonal marker | 季節の目安 | kisetsu no meyasu |
| jacket / outer layer | 上着 | uwagi |
「霜降」 is read
「そうこう」(sōkō).
It is one of the
二十四節気 (nijūshi sekki),
the twenty-four traditional
seasonal divisions of the year.
The kanji are:
霜
shimo
“frost”
降
meaning “to fall” or “to come down”
But 「霜降」 is not read
“shimofuri” in this seasonal expression.
It is read:
「そうこう」(sōkō).
For example:
「明日は霜降です。」
Ashita wa sōkō desu.
“Tomorrow is Sōkō.”
「霜降は二十四節気のひとつです。」
Sōkō wa nijūshi sekki no hitotsu desu.
“Sōkō is one of the twenty-four solar terms.”
When you see 「霜降」 on a calendar,
remember that it is
a seasonal word,
not a weather forecast.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s word is 「霜降」.
Try mixing it into English:
“Tomorrow is 霜降.”
“I saw 霜降
on the calendar.”
“霜降 is a sign
that winter is getting closer.”
「霜降」 is read
「そうこう」(sōkō).
It is one of the
twenty-four solar terms.
It does not mean
that frost will definitely appear
on that exact day.
So you can connect:
霜降
→ sōkō
→ a seasonal marker toward winter 🍂
コメント