Literary Excerpt
- 1かれはまどのそとをみつめ、すぎさったひびをおもいだしていた。
彼は窓の外を見つめ、過ぎ去った日々を思い出していた。
He gazed out the window, reminiscing about the days that had gone by.
- 2いろあざやかなふうけいがかれのこころのなかにひろがり、きおくのなかのじょうけいがせんめいによみがえった。
色鮮やかな風景が彼の心の中に広がり、記憶の中の情景が鮮明に蘇った。
The vibrant scenery spread within his heart, vividly resurrecting the scenes from his memories.
- 3そのしゅんかん、かれはじんせいのはかなさをかんじ、こころがしめつけられるようなおもいにおそわれた。
その瞬間、彼は人生の儚さを感じ、心が締め付けられるような思いに襲われた。
In that moment, he felt the transience of life, overwhelmed by a tightening sensation in his heart.
- 4かれのめにうつるけしきは、ますますうすれていくおもいでのしょうちょうとなっていた。
彼の目に映る景色は、ますます薄れていく思い出の象徴となっていた。
The scenery reflected in his eyes had become a symbol of fading memories more and more.
- 5やがて、かれは再びげんじつにひきもどされ、じぶんのすすむべきみちをみさだめることができた。
やがて、彼は再び現実に引き戻され、自分の進むべき道を見定めることができた。
Eventually, he was pulled back to reality, able to determine the path he should take.
Coaching notes
Reflective and introspective, this excerpt captures moments of reminiscing and deep emotional connection with past memories while balancing them with a realization of life's transience.
Pronunciation focus
- 過ぎ去った (すぎさった) — Pay attention to the extended た sound.
- 鮮明に (せんめいに) — The combination of せん results in a nasal sound.
- 儚さ (はかなさ) — The pitch drops after は.
- 蘇った (よみがえった) — The small い changes the も to よ.
- 現実 (げんじつ) — The pitch rises at じ before dropping again.
Rhythm & pacing
Pacing remains steady yet introspective, with slight pauses adding depth to the reflective nature. This suits shadowing phrases individually.
Key grammar
- 〜を見つめ = focusing on something deeply
- 色鮮やかな = vividly colored
- 感じ = to feel, sense
- 〜を見定める = to determine, find one's path
Natural speech features
- やがて tends to be pronounced softly and blends with the following words.
Practice strategy
Listen to the excerpt three times to understand the depth of emotions before attempting shadowing. Focus on phrases with complex pitch, and isolate phrases with 重 (feeling) for separate practice.
Common mistakes
- Mispronouncing long vowels, such as in 過ぎ去った.
- Overlooking the drop in 彼は when moving quickly between sentences.
- Ignoring the nasal quality of combination sounds like せん.
- Rushing through 彼の目に映る causing semantic disconnection.
Practice shadowing on the go
The Kanji 360 app adds recording, playback comparison, and dozens more shadowing clips with stroke-order kanji and SRS review.