Lesson 1-3: 北風と太陽 / The North Wind and the Sun

Japanese Graded Readers: Fairy Tales and Short Stories with Read-aloud Method

Lesson 1-3: 北風きたかぜ太陽たいよう /The North Wind and the Sun

Slow Speed
Slow Speed with Pauses
Natural Speed
Natural Speed with Pauses

Japanese Script

最初さいしょにおれがやってみるよ」。北風きたかぜはそうって、つよかぜきました。おとこきゅういたつよかぜにおどろきました。北風きたかぜはどんどんかぜきます。かぜいて、マントをばすつもりです。「さむい!どうしてきゅうかぜつよくなったんだ?」おとこはそううと、もう一枚いちまいマントをして、いそいでました。北風きたかぜまいのマントをがせるために、もっとつよかぜきました。おとこはマントがばないように、しっかりとちました。北風きたかぜがいくらつよかぜいても、おとこいっしょう懸命けんめいでマントをっています。北風きたかぜいました。「だめだ。おれのちからではマントをがせることができない。」

English Translation

“First, I will try,” the North Wind said and blew the strong wind. The man was surprised by the wind blowing suddenly. The North Wind steadily blew the wind. He planned to make it fly off by blowing the wind. “It’s cold! Why has the wind suddenly become so strong?” the man said, and then took out another cloak, and wore it in a hurry. The North Wind blew the wind more strongly to make him take off his two cloaks. The man tightly held the cloaks to prevent them from flying away. Even if the North Wind strongly blew the wind, the man was holding the cloaks very hard. The North Wind said, “I can’t. My power can’t make him take off his cloaks.

Vocabulary

Words Types Meanings
最初さいしょ adverbial noun  beginning, outset, first, onset  
きゅう adverb suddenly, abruptly, immediately 
どんどん  adverb  rapidly, steadily 
ばす  u-verb to fly, to fire, to hurl, to launch, to make fly
どうして  question word  why 
...ために  expression for, for the sake of, to one's advantage
もっと  adverb  (some) more, even more, further
...ように expression in order to, so that, take care (so as)
しっかり adverb, suru verb tightly, firmly, securely 

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