Welcome! Today we have a special treat for beginners learning Japanese. We've retold the beloved Japanese folk tale of Urashima Tarō in very simple Japanese, perfect for A1 learners. If you're just starting out, this story is for you.
Urashima Tarō is a kind young fisherman who rescues a turtle. As a reward, he visits a beautiful palace under the sea and meets a lovely princess. But when he returns home, he discovers that time works differently there. It's a magical, bittersweet story that's been loved in Japan for centuries.
In this interactive reader, every Japanese sentence comes with clickable translations and helpful notes. You can also listen along with the story audio to practice your pronunciation. Plus, we've included a mini vocabulary list and lesson notes at the end. Dive in and enjoy learning Japanese with this timeless tale-completely free!
むかし むかし、 という が いました。
たろう は で 。
ある ひ、で が を 。
たろう は 「」と 。
こどもたち は 。
かめ は 「。おれい に へ 」と いいました。
たろう は に 。
うみ の なか へ 。
りゅうぐうじょう は 。
おとひめさま が 「」と いいました。
さかな たち が 。
たろう は を 。
が 。
たろう は 「 が です。いえ に 」と いいました。
おとひめさま は を 。
「この はこ を 」と いいました。
たろう は を 。
むら に 。
でも、 は 。
かぞく も 。
たろう は 。
たろう は を 。
が 。
たろう は に なりました。
Long, long ago, there was a fisherman named Urashima Taro.
Taro catches fish at the sea every day.
One day, children were bullying a turtle on the beach.
Taro said, "Please stop it."
The children ran away.
The turtle said, "Thank you. Would you like to go to the Dragon Palace as thanks?"
Taro got on the turtle's back.
They go into the sea.
The Dragon Palace was very beautiful.
Princess Otohime said, "Welcome."
The fishes dance.
Taro ate a feast.
Three days passed.
Taro said, "I am worried about my family. I will go home."
Princess Otohime gave him a jeweled box.
She said, "You must not open this box."
Taro left the sea with the turtle.
He arrived at the village.
But the village was completely different.
His family was not there either.
Taro was very lonely.
Taro opened the jeweled box.
White smoke came out.
Taro became an old man.
The story introduces many everyday words. Here are some important ones to remember. Try saying them out loud as you read the story again.
Notice that many of these are common nouns and verbs you'll hear often in Japanese.
- りょうし (ryōshi) - fisherman
- かめ (kame) - turtle
- うみ (umi) - sea
- むら (mura) - village
- たべました (tabemashita) - ate (polite past)
The story uses the polite past tense many times. For example, たろうは さかな を とります becomes たろうは さかな を とりました (Tarō caught fish). The ending ～ました shows respectful past action.
To make the polite past, change ～ます to ～ました. いきます (go) → いきました (went). みます (see) → みました (saw). This form is essential for polite conversation.
- ～ます → ～ました (present polite → past polite)
- E.g. たべます → たべました (eat → ate)
- E.g. いいます → いいました (say → said)
- The negative is ～ませんでした (did not)
Tarō tells the children やめて ください (Please stop). This is a polite request: verb te-form + ください. Later, the princess says あけては いけません (You must not open). This is a prohibition: verb te-form + は いけません.
These patterns are very useful for daily situations. Practice them with simple verbs: まって ください (please wait), たべては いけません (you must not eat).
- ～て ください = please do
- ～ては いけません = must not do
- やめる → やめて (stop)
- あける → あけて (open)
Now that you know some key words and patterns, try reading the story once more. Notice how the polite forms make it gentle and respectful. Can you find the past tense verbs and requests?
Even a sad ending like Tarō's teaches us about Japanese storytelling. Keep looking for ～ました and ～てください in other simple stories-you'll soon feel more confident!
うらしまたろう 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/general, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying Japanese. Good sea/time-travel story; simplify ending.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our Japanese section and review the Geography Vocabulary in Japanese. After that, try Essential Japanese Phrases for another useful next step.
More Japanese to explore
The White Hare of Inaba: A2 Elementary Japanese Story with Audio
The Old Man Who Made Withered Trees Blossom – Japanese Story with Audio for Beginners
The Snow Woman: A Chilling Japanese Folktale for Elementary Learners (A2 Audio Story)
