Let's read the story "The Rabbit Who Went to the Moon"! / Japanese Learning Support LLC
Let's read the story "The Rabbit Who Went to the Moon."
The moon is beautiful in September.
Have you all enjoyed the moon viewing?
There seem to be legends about a rabbit on the moon in many countries, but this time we will introduce a story that is told in Japan.
"The Rabbit Who Went to the Moon"
Once upon a time, there was a rabbit, a monkey and a fox.
Monkey: "Why were we born as animals?"
Fox: "I must have done something bad in my past life."
Rabbit: "Then, if I do something to help others, then maybe I can become a human being."
A god, who had heard their story, came to see the three of them.
God: "You want to become humans, don't you?"
Monkey: "Yes!"
God: "Then give some of your food to humans, and you will become a human in the next life."
Fox: "Then we'll go find some food!"
First, the monkey went to the mountain.
It's autumn.
There are lots of chestnuts and persimmons in the mountains.
The monkey picked up some delicious looking chestnuts and persimmons and took them home.
The fox went to the river.
The fish are swimming happily in the river.
The fox took the fish in his mouth and took it home.
The rabbit also went out to look for food for himself, but what he was eating was green grass, which at this time of year in autumn there wasn't much of.
The rabbit searched hard.
But in the end I couldn't find it.
So the rabbit gathered up some dead branches and leaves and returned to the monkeys.
Rabbit: "My food tastes better when it's grilled, so can you guys help me make a fire there? I have some dead wood and leaves, so I'll use those!"
The monkey and the fox did as they were told and started a fire.
The fire is burning fiercely.
Suddenly the rabbit ran towards the fire.
Rabbit: "I couldn't find any food so let humans eat me instead!"
And with that the rabbit jumped into the burning fire.
The monkey and the fox were surprised.
Then God came down and said,
God: "Monkey, fox, you are both very kind and give your food to humans. I will make you human in your next life. But the rabbit is even more amazing. He gave his life as food and tried to be of use to humans."
The god picked up the rabbit and rose to heaven.
God: "The rabbit is very strong and kind-hearted. I will let him live happily ever after in the land of the moon."
The rabbit went to the land of the moon with God and seems to be living happily ever after.
How was it?
It was a story about a rabbit who went to the moon.
Stories like this are told all over the world, but I think the Indian version is particularly famous.
Now, let's start studying some of the Japanese that appears in the text!
"Then please treat the humans to some of your food."
God said to the rabbit, the monkey, and the fox:
When reading Japanese stories, you often come across the grammar "nasai."
However, Japanese language learners probably have few opportunities to use them in real conversations.
Today I would like to introduce you to the phrase "~nasai."
"Nasai" is a grammar used to encourage the other person to take a certain action, such as issuing an order or giving instructions.
Sample1 Get up early! You'll be late!
Sample 2: Answer the questions below.
Sample3 Sit down and eat properly.
Sample 4: Do your homework quickly.
When you look at this, it looks like something a mother or father would say to their child.
That's right.
It is often said by a superior to a subordinate.
So, can this be used when a boss asks his subordinate to do a job?
For example, this sentence:
・(Boss to subordinate) Complete this document by tomorrow.
Japanese people don't often say things like this.
Certainly, a boss is higher than a subordinate, so it seems okay to use "nasai" to express instructions.
However, "nasai" does not really convey the speaker's desire for the other person to do something, but rather conveys an objective opinion such as "It would be better if you did this" or "It is right to do this."
Let's take a look at the phrase that appeared in the sample above, "Get up early, or you'll be late!"
Let's say it's a conversation between a mother and her child.
Moms won't have any problems if their children wake up early or oversleep.
It's not that the mother personally wants her child to wake up, but rather that it is a general opinion that it is bad social etiquette to oversleep and that it is better to get up early and go to school.
Therefore, it sounds unnatural for a boss to use "nasai" to mean "I want you to do this" to his subordinate, so be careful!
Today, we talked about the story "The Rabbit Who Went to the Moon" and a little about the grammar of "nasai."
Did you have fun learning?
Our blog also has other articles that are useful for learning Japanese, so be sure to check them out!
That's all for today!
See you in the next blog!
