📖 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
On their way home from school, Sakura and Sumire are looking at the trees along the sidewalk.
The leaves have turned red and yellow.
学校の帰り道の歩道の街路樹で、さくらとすみれが
赤や黄色に色づいた木々を眺めている。
Gakkou no kaerimichi no hodou no gairoju de, Sakura to Sumire ga
aka ya kiiro ni irozuita kigi o nagamete iru.
Kouyou means
red autumn leaves, right?
紅葉って、
赤い葉っぱのことだよね？
Kouyou tte,
akai happa no koto da yo ne?
We call leaves that turn red
kouyou.
赤く色づいた葉っぱを
紅葉（こうよう）って言うね。
Akaku irozuita happa o
kouyou tte iu ne.
Both red and yellow leaves
are called kouyou!?
赤も黄色も、
こうようなの！？
Aka mo kiiro mo,
kouyou na no!?
The kanji are different,
but they’re pronounced the same way.
漢字は違うけど、
読み方は同じなんだよ。
Kanji wa chigau kedo,
yomikata wa onaji nan da yo.
Then what if
the red and yellow are mixed together?
じゃあさ、
赤と黄色が混ざってたら？
Jaa sa,
aka to kiiro ga mazattetara?
kouyou, using the kanji for red leaves.
「紅葉」って呼ぶことが多いよ。
“kouyou” tte yobu koto ga ooi yo.
Even though yellow is there too,
the red kanji gets to represent everyone!? 🤣
黄色もいるのに、
赤の漢字が代表なの！？🤣
Kiiro mo iru noni,
aka no kanji ga daihyou na no!? 🤣
Sometimes we use kouyou
to talk about all the colorful autumn leaves.
秋の色づいた葉っぱ全体を
「紅葉」って呼ぶこともあるんだよ。
Aki no irozuita happa zentai o
“kouyou” tte yobu koto mo arun da yo.
Then
I should make sure
the yellow leaves know that, too.
じゃあ、
黄色い葉っぱにも
ちゃんと教えてあげなくちゃ。
Jaa,
kiiroi happa ni mo
chanto oshiete agenakucha.
That’s what I’ll tell them! 😆
って！😆
tte! 😆
You’re really going to explain that to the leaves? 🤣
葉っぱに説明するつもりなの？🤣
Happa ni setsumei suru tsumori na no? 🤣
💭 Story Note
In Japanese, two words can sound exactly the same
but have different kanji and meanings.
This is called 「同音異義語」 (douon igigo),
or “homophones” in English.
In this story, we see two words:
紅葉 (kouyou) — leaves turning red.
黄葉 (kouyou) — leaves turning yellow.
Both are pronounced “kouyou.”
But the kanji tell us something different.
紅 means red,
while 黄 means yellow.
There is another interesting point.
In everyday Japanese,
紅葉 is often used to talk about
autumn leaves changing color in general,
not just red leaves.
So even when a tree has
both red and yellow leaves,
people may simply call it 紅葉.
Japanese kanji can give us clues
about the meaning of a word,
even when the pronunciation is the same.
Next time you see colorful autumn leaves,
try remembering these two kinds of “kouyou.” 🍁
📚 Vocabulary
Here are some words and expressions from this story.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| autumn leaves / leaves changing color | 紅葉 | kouyou |
| yellow autumn leaves / leaves turning yellow | 黄葉 | kouyou |
| kanji / Chinese characters used in Japanese | 漢字 | kanji |
| how to read / pronunciation | 読み方 | yomikata |
| confusing / complicated | ややこしい | yayakoshii |
### Language Tip: Two Kinds of Kouyou
Today’s focus is 「紅葉」 (kouyou).
It usually refers to autumn leaves changing color.
But Japanese also has another word
with the same pronunciation:
「黄葉」 (kouyou).
The difference is in the kanji.
紅葉 uses 「紅」 for red,
while 黄葉 uses 「黄」 for yellow.
Here are two examples:
「紅葉がきれいだね。」
Kouyou ga kirei da ne.
“The autumn leaves are beautiful.”
「この木は黄葉しているね。」
Kono ki wa kouyou shite iru ne.
“The leaves on this tree are turning yellow.”
In everyday Japanese,
紅葉 is often used for autumn colors in general.
So even if the leaves are yellow,
you may still hear people say 「紅葉」.
Same sound, different kanji,
and two beautiful autumn colors! 🍁
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s Japanese word is
「紅葉」 (kouyou).
You can think of it as
“autumn leaves” or “autumn colors.”
Let’s mix it into English!
“The 紅葉 looks beautiful today!”
“Let’s go see the 紅葉 this weekend.”
“I love walking under the 紅葉 in autumn.”
You don’t need perfect English
or perfect Japanese here.
Just try to feel how the word is used.
And remember,
there’s another “kouyou”!
「紅葉」 — autumn leaves, especially red ones.
「黄葉」 — leaves turning yellow.
They sound exactly the same,
but their kanji show different colors.
So when you see red and yellow leaves together,
you can think:
“Wow! Two kinds of こうよう!” 🍁
A little Japanese,
mixed into your English,
can make an autumn walk even more fun.
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