Simplified retelling · JLPT N4

ねずみの嫁入り Nezumi no Yomeiri in easy Japanese (N4)

Retold for N4 learners after the story by Kusuyama Masao · 1,381 characters

This is our own simplified retelling of The Finest Match in All the Land, written for N4 learners and checked word by word against the N4 vocabulary list. A few story words and grammar patterns go beyond N4; the notes below give each one's level. It keeps the characters, events and ending of the original. When it feels easy, move on to the original text.

The story in brief

A rich mouse couple living in a storehouse finally have a daughter, and she grows into the most beautiful mouse in the land. Her father sets out to marry her to the greatest being in the world, but the Sun, the Cloud, the Wind and a Wall each say that someone else is greater. The Wall admits that mice are stronger than it is, so the father happily marries his daughter to Chūsuke, the young mouse next door, and the family lives on in happiness.

AI translation · independently checked

むかし、ある家いえのくらの中なかに、ねずみの家族かぞくが住すんでいました。Once upon a time, a family of mice lived inside the storehouse of a certain house.

くらの中なかには、こめなどの食たべ物ものがたくさんありました。Inside the storehouse there was plenty to eat, such as rice.

ねずみのお父とうさんとお母かあさんは、お金持かねもちでした。The mouse father and mother were rich.

でも、二人ふたりには子こどもがいませんでした。But the two of them had no children.

それで、かみさまにたのみました。So they prayed to the gods for one.

すると、やっと女おんなの子こが生うまれました。And then, at long last, a little girl was born.

女おんなの子こはどんどん大おおきくなりました。The little girl grew bigger and bigger.

そして、とてもきれいなむすめになりました。And she became a very beautiful daughter.

ねずみの国くにで、いちばんきれいなむすめでした。She was the most beautiful daughter in all the land of mice.

お父とうさんとお母かあさんは考かんがえました。The father and mother thought it over.

「うちのむすめは日本にっぽん一いちのむすめだ。だから、日本にっぽん一いちのむこをさがさなければならない。」"Our daughter is the finest daughter in Japan. So we must find the finest husband in Japan for her."

世界せかいでいちばんえらいのはだれでしょう。Now, who is the greatest in the world?

それは、高たかい空そらから世界せかいを見みているお日ひさまです。Why, it is the Sun, who looks down on the world from high in the sky.

そこで、お父とうさんはお母かあさんとむすめをつれて、空そらへのぼっていきました。So the father took the mother and their daughter with him and climbed up to the sky.

「お日ひさま、お日ひさま、あなたは世界せかいでいちばんえらい方かたです。どうぞ、わたくしのむすめをおよめさんにもらってください。」"Honourable Sun, honourable Sun, you are the greatest one in all the world. I beg you, please take my daughter as your bride."

お父とうさんは、ていねいにあたまを下さげました。The father bowed his head politely.

お日ひさまはわらいながら答こたえました。The Sun laughed as it answered.

「それはうれしいが、わたしよりもっとえらいものがいるよ。」"That makes me very happy, but there is someone greater than me."

お父とうさんはびっくりしました。The father was astonished.

「あなたよりえらい方かたがいるのですか。それはどなたですか。」"There is someone greater than you? And who might that be?"

「それはくもだよ。くもが出でると、わたしはもう何なにもできないからね。」"Why, it's the Cloud. When the Cloud comes out, I can't do a thing, you see."

「なるほど。」"I see."

お父とうさんは、今度こんどはくものところへ出でかけました。This time, the father set off to see the Cloud.

「くもさん、くもさん、あなたは世界せかいでいちばんえらい方かたです。どうぞ、わたくしのむすめをおよめさんにもらってください。」"Honourable Cloud, honourable Cloud, you are the greatest one in all the world. I beg you, please take my daughter as your bride."

「それはうれしいが、わたしよりもっとえらいものがいるよ。」"That makes me very happy, but there is someone greater than me."

お父とうさんはびっくりしました。The father was astonished.

「あなたよりえらい方かたがいるのですか。それはどなたですか。」"There is someone greater than you? And who might that be?"

「それは風かぜだよ。風かぜが強つよくふくと、わたしはとおくへ行いってしまうからね。」"Why, it's the Wind. When the Wind blows hard, I get blown far away, you see."

「なるほど。」"I see."

お父とうさんは、今度こんどは風かぜのところへ出でかけました。This time, the father set off to see the Wind.

「風かぜさん、風かぜさん、あなたは世界せかいでいちばんえらい方かたです。どうぞ、わたくしのむすめをおよめさんにもらってください。」"Honourable Wind, honourable Wind, you are the greatest one in all the world. I beg you, please take my daughter as your bride."

「それはうれしいが、わたしよりもっとえらいものがいるよ。」"That makes me very happy, but there is someone greater than me."

お父とうさんはびっくりしました。The father was astonished.

「あなたよりえらい方かたがいるのですか。それはどなたですか。」"There is someone greater than you? And who might that be?"

「それはかべだよ。わたしが強つよくふいても、かべはぜんぜん動うごかないからね。」"Why, it's the Wall. Even when I blow hard, the Wall doesn't move one bit, you see."

「なるほど。」"I see."

お父とうさんは、また、かべのところへ出でかけました。Once again, the father set off, this time to see the Wall.

「かべさん、かべさん、あなたは世界せかいでいちばんえらい方かたです。どうぞ、うちのむすめをおよめさんにもらってください。」"Honourable Wall, honourable Wall, you are the greatest one in all the world. I beg you, please take our daughter as your bride."

「それはうれしいが、わたしよりもっとえらいものがいるよ。」"That makes me very happy, but there is someone greater than me."

お父とうさんはびっくりしました。The father was astonished.

「あなたよりえらい方かたがいるのですか。それはどなたですか。」"There is someone greater than you? And who might that be?"

「それは、ねずみさんだよ。わたしはとてもかたいです。でも、ねずみさんは、わたしの体からだをかんで、あなをあけます。そして、そこを通とおっていくじゃないか。わたしは、ねずみさんにはかてないよ。」"Why, it's you mice. I am very hard. But you mice gnaw at my body and make holes in it. And then you go right on through, don't you? I just can't beat you mice."

「なるほど。」"I see."

ねずみのお父とうさんは、ぽんと手てをうちました。The mouse father clapped his hands together with a pop.

「これは知しらなかった。わたしたちが、世界せかいでいちばんえらいのですね。」"Well, I never knew that. So it is we who are the greatest in the world!"

お父とうさんはわらいながら、うれしそうに家いえへ帰かえりました。Laughing, the father went home looking very pleased.

帰かえると、お父とうさんはすぐに、となりのちゅうすけというねずみを、むすめのむこにしました。As soon as he got home, the father married his daughter to the mouse next door, who was called Chūsuke.

わかい二人ふたりは、けんかをしないで、毎日まいにち楽たのしくせいかつしました。The young couple never quarrelled and lived happily every day.

そして、お父とうさんとお母かあさんを大切たいせつにしました。And they took good care of the father and mother.

子こどももたくさん生うまれて、くらのねずみの家族かぞくは、どんどん大おおきくなりました。Many children were born to them too, and the mouse family in the storehouse grew bigger and bigger.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	JLPT
くらくら	storehousedictionary form: 蔵A thick-walled building for keeping rice and valuables, the kind of place mice love.	N1
お金持ちおかねもち	rich; a rich personLiterally 'money-holder' (金 money + 持つ to hold).	N4
たのみましたたのむ	to ask; to beg; here, to pray fordictionary form: 頼むThe object of the request goes with に: かみさまにたのむ.	N5
むすめむすめ	daughter; young womandictionary form: 娘Used for one's own daughter; お嬢さん is the polite word for someone else's.	N4
むこむこ	husband for a daughter; son-in-lawdictionary form: 婿The key word of the story: the father is looking for the right むこ.	N1
えらいえらい	great; important; mightydictionary form: 偉いDescribes someone of high rank or great power, not simply 'strong'.	N2
のぼってのぼる	to go up; to ascenddictionary form: 登るDirection is marked with へ or に: 空へのぼる.	N5
およめさんおよめさん	bride; wifedictionary form: お嫁さんよめにもらう means 'to take someone as one's bride'.	—
ていねいにていねい	politely; carefullydictionary form: 丁寧な-adjective; add に to use it as an adverb.	N4
かべかべ	walldictionary form: 壁	N4
かんでかむ	to bite; to gnawdictionary form: 噛む	N4
かてないかつ	to win; to beatdictionary form: 勝つThe person you beat takes に: ねずみさんにかてない 'can't beat the mice'.	N4
手をうちましたてをうつ	to clap one's handsdictionary form: 手を打つHere a gesture of sudden understanding, like 'Aha!'.	—
大切にたいせつ	treating with care; cherishingdictionary form: 大切〜を大切にする means 'to take good care of / treasure someone'.	N5

Grammar

〜なければならない N4 must; have to

Attached to the ない-stem of a verb (さがさ-), it expresses obligation. The father feels he has no choice but to find the very best husband.

日本一のむこをさがさなければならない。
We must find the finest husband in Japan.

〜ながら N4 while doing ~

Verb ます-stem + ながら shows two actions done at the same time by the same person. The Sun is laughing as it answers.

お日さまはわらいながら答えました。
The Sun laughed as it answered.

AよりBのほうが / Aより〜 N5 more ~ than A

より marks the thing being compared against. わたしよりもっとえらい means 'even greater than me'; もっと strengthens the comparison.

わたしよりもっとえらいものがいるよ。
There is someone greater than me.

〜と (conditional) N4 when ~ / whenever ~

Plain form + と shows that one thing always happens as a natural result of another. The Sun and the Cloud use it to explain why someone else is greater: when the Cloud comes out or the Wind blows hard, they are powerless.

くもが出ると、わたしはもう何もできないからね。
When the Cloud comes out, I can't do a thing, you see.

〜てしまう N4 end up ~ (often unwillingly)

Verb て-form + しまう shows that something happens completely, often with a feeling that it can't be helped. The Cloud can't stop itself from being blown away.

風が強くふくと、わたしはとおくへ行ってしまうからね。
When the Wind blows hard, I get blown far away, you see.

〜そうに N4 looking ~; in a ~ way

Adjective stem + そう means 'seems ~'; with に it describes how someone does something. うれしそうに means the father looked happy as he went home.

お父さんはわらいながら、うれしそうに家へ帰りました。
Laughing, the father went home looking very pleased.