Welcome to the lesson notes for The One-Inch Boy! In this story, you will meet a tiny but brave hero. Tap any clickable word in the story to see its meaning, and listen to the audio to hear the whole tale read aloud.
After reading, use these lesson notes to learn new words, practice simple grammar, think about the story's message, and try a short speaking and writing task. Ready? Let's begin!
Once upon a time, an old couple a child. They said, "Please, let us have a child, ." Then a tiny boy was born. He was only one inch tall. They named him Issun-bōshi.
Issun-bōshi was very small. But he was . One day, he said, "I want to . I want to see the world." His parents gave him a needle sword and a rice bowl boat. "Be careful," they said.
He put his rice bowl in the river. He used a chopstick to . The rice bowl was his boat. The chopstick was his oar. He .
He arrived at the capital. He went to a big house. A princess lived there. She saw him and smiled. "What a boy!" she said. "You can me." He became her helper.
One day, the princess went for a walk. Issun-bōshi went with her. , a big oni . The oni had red skin and big horns. "I will eat you!" the oni shouted.
Issun-bōshi took out his needle sword. He was . The oni laughed and . But Issun-bōshi jumped into the oni's mouth. He the oni's stomach with his sword. "Ouch! Ouch!" cried the oni. The oni dropped a magic hammer and ran away.
The princess picked up the magic hammer. She shook it. "Make Issun-bōshi big!" she said. Poof! He . He became a tall, handsome boy. The princess was so happy. They lived happily together.
An old couple wished for a child. They said, 'Let us have a child, even a tiny one.' Then a one-inch tall boy was born, and they named him Issun-bōshi.
Issun-bōshi was small but brave. He wanted to go to the capital. His parents gave him a needle sword and a rice bowl boat, and warned him to be careful.
He put his rice bowl in the river, using a chopstick as an oar, and sailed away.
At the capital, he went to a big house where a princess lived. She smiled and let him stay as her helper.
One day, while walking with the princess, a big red oni with horns jumped out, threatening to eat them.
Issun-bōshi bravely took out his needle sword. The oni picked him up, but Issun-bōshi jumped into its mouth and poked its stomach. The oni cried and ran away, dropping a magic hammer.
The princess shook the magic hammer, wishing Issun-bōshi to become big. He grew into a tall, handsome boy, and they lived happily together.
These words appear in the story. Learn them first — then read the story again and look for them!
Try saying each word out loud. You can also listen to the audio to check the pronunciation.
- tiny — very, very small
- brave — not afraid of danger
- needle — a thin, sharp metal thing for sewing
- bowl — a round, open dish for food
- oar — a long stick used to move a boat
- princess — a king's daughter
- demon — a scary monster
- magic — special power that makes impossible things happen
- handsome — good-looking (for a man or boy)
- helper — a person who helps someone
The story happened in the past, so it uses past tense verbs. Many verbs just add -ed, but some common verbs are irregular.
Look at these examples from the story: 'A tiny boy was born.' 'He sailed and sailed.' 'The oni ran away.'
- wish → wished — 'They wished for a child.'
- sail → sailed — 'He sailed on the river.'
- smile → smiled — 'The princess smiled.'
- jump → jumped — 'He jumped into the mouth.'
- go → went — 'He went to the capital.' (irregular)
- say → said — 'She said, "Make him big!"' (irregular)
- run → ran — 'The oni ran away.' (irregular)
Issun-bōshi is only one inch tall, but he is not afraid. When a big demon attacks the princess, he fights with his tiny needle sword. He wins because he is brave and clever, not because he is big.
Think about it: What is more important — size or courage? In this story, a small body does not mean a small heart!
- Issun-bōshi is small, but he has a big heart.
- He does not run away from danger.
- He uses his small size in a clever way — he jumps into the demon's mouth!
- The message: you do not have to be big to be a hero.
Now it is your turn! First, speak: tell a friend or teacher about the story in three or four sentences. Use past tense verbs like went, saw, and jumped.
Then write: imagine YOU are one inch tall. What will you do? What will you use as a boat and a sword? Write three or four sentences.
- Speaking prompt: 'Once upon a time, there was a tiny boy. He went to...'
- Writing prompt: 'If I were one inch tall, I would...'
- Use at least three words from the Key Words list.
- Remember to use past tense when you tell the story!
The One-Inch Boy comes from the Japanese / folk tale tradition and is best known as a folk tale. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Traditional Japanese folk tale; public-domain versions, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. Great size/adventure vocabulary.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try Best Graded Readers for English for another useful next step.