Chapter 1 of Momotaro is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Momotaro is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MOMOTARO. MOMOTARO OR LITTLE PEACHLING. A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman. One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes. While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
Chapter 1 of Momotaro is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
clothing in general
From this reading “One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.”
shoot down, of birds
From this reading “One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.”
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.”
the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
From this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.”
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.”
a woman who is old
In this reading “A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.”
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.”
In this reading “While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
in the past
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
clothing in general
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading MOMOTARO OR LITTLE PEACHLING.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MOMOTARO.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading MOMOTARO OR LITTLE PEACHLING.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MOMOTARO OR LITTLE PEACHLING.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
a special situation
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
clean with some chemical process
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes.
during the time that
From this reading While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman.
Chapter 1 of Momotaro by Anonymous holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 81 sentences of Momotaro, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Momotaro by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Momotaro by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 81 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 6 minutes of reading across 17 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Momotaro section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Momotaro to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Momotaro, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
