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August 20, 2026

How to use

Designed to help you progress once you’re comfortable with the basics. Use it as supplementary material alongside your studies.

Pick a school grade or JLPT level and do this each day:

  1. Handwrite the passage in a notebook.
  2. Read the passage out loud.
  3. Understand the meaning of the passage (if you need help, check the English translation).
  4. Take note of the grammar points (try understanding them in Japanese first; if you need help, refer to the English translation).
N3高1 · High School 1August 20, 2026

はじめてのよせ

せんしゅう、ゆうじんにさそわれて、はじめてよせでらくごをきいた。ぶたいにはざぶとんいちまいしかなく、えんじゃはせんすいっぽんでなんにんものとうじょうじんぶつをえんじわけていた。はなしのとちゅうで、おもわずこえをだしてわらってしまうほどおもしろかった。らくごはふるいものだとおもっていたが、じっさいにみてみると、いまのせいかつにもつうじるわらいがたくさんあった。こんどはちがうえんじゃのらくごもきいてみたいとおもっている。

文法

  • 「〜ほど」は、程度ていどがどれくらいかを具体的ぐたいてきな例れいを挙あげて表あらわす表現ひょうげんで、「〜くらい」という意味いみを持もつ。
  • 「〜てしまう」は、ある動作どうさが完全かんぜんに終おわったことを表あらわす表現ひょうげんで、思おもわずそうなってしまった、抑おさえられなかったという気持きもちを含ふくむことが多おおい。
  • 「〜てみると」は、実際じっさいに何なにかを試こころみた結果けっか、新あたらしく分わかったことや気きづいたことを述のべるときに使つかわれる表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜と思おもっていたが」は、以前いぜんからそう考かんがえていた内容ないようを述のべたあとで、それとは異ことなる事実じじつが分わかったことを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
English

My First Time at a Rakugo Theater

Last week, a friend invited me, and I listened to rakugo for the first time at a small yose theater. On the stage there was nothing but a single cushion, and the performer used just one folding fan to play the roles of many different characters. Partway through the story, it was so funny that I couldn't help laughing out loud. I had thought rakugo was something old-fashioned, but when I actually watched it, I found plenty of humor that still connects to life today. Next time, I'd like to listen to rakugo performed by a different storyteller.

  • 「~ほど」expresses the degree of something by giving a concrete example, meaning 'to the extent that ~' or 'so much that ~'.
  • 「~てしまう」expresses that an action happens completely, often with a nuance that it occurred unintentionally or that one couldn't help doing it, sometimes with a strong emotional feeling.
  • 「~てみると」means 'when one actually tries doing ~', used to introduce something newly discovered or realized as a result of trying an action.
  • 「~と思っていたが」expresses a previously held assumption or belief, followed by a contrasting reality that was discovered later, meaning 'I had thought ~, but ~'.
All JLPT N3 paragraphs