Many acorns can be found during this time of year. I liked the shape of acorns and enjoyed collecting them when I was small. You can make a lot of interest and different crafts with acorns, too. Here is a site that shows some unique acorn crafts. The Japanese word for acorn is "donguri"; it is usually written in hiragana. "Donguri no seikurabe" is a Japanese proverb. It literally means, "comparing the height of acorns" and refers to "there being little to choose from between them; they are all alike".


"Donguri-manako" means, "big round eyes; goggle eyes".

Here is a popular children's song titled "Donguri Korokoro". You can listen to this song on Youtube.

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Romaji Translation

Donguri korokoro donburiko
Oike ni hamatte saa taihen
Dojou ga detekite konnichiwa
Bocchan isshoni asobimashou

Donguri korokoro yorokonde
Shibaraku isshoni asonda ga
Yappari oyama ga koishii to
Naitewa dojou o komaraseta

English Translation

An acorn rolled down and down,
Oh no, he fell into a pond!
Then came the loach and said Hello,
Little boy, let's play together.

Little rolling acorn was so happy
He played for a little while
But soon he started to miss the mountain
He cried and the loach didn't know what to do.

Vocabulary

donguri ???? --- acorn
oike (ike) ?? --- pond
hamaru ??? --- fall into
saa ?? --- now
taihen ?? --- serious
dojou ???? --- loach (an eel-like, bottom-feeding fish with whiskers)
Konnichiwa ????? --- Hello
bocchan ???? --- a boy
isshoni ??? --- together
asobu ?? --- to play
yorokobu ?? --- to be pleased
shibaraku ???? --- for a while
yappari ???? --- still
oyama (yama) ?? --- mountain
koishii ??? --- to miss
komaru ?? --- to be at a loss

Grammar

(1) "Korokoro" is an onomatopoeic expression, which expresses the sound or appearance of a lightweight object rolling about. Words that begin with unvoiced consonants, such as "korokoro" and "tonton", represent sounds or states of things that are small, light or dry. On the other hand, words that begin voiced consonants, such as "gorogoro" and "dondon", represent sounds or states of things that are big, heavy, or not dry. These expressions are usually negative in nuance.

"Korokoro" also describes "plump" in a different context. Here is an example.

• Ano koinu wa korokoro futotteite, kawaii. ??????????????????? --- That puppy is plump and cute.
• Click this link to learn more about onomatopoeic expressions.
  
  (2) "O" is the respectful prefix (polite marker). It is used to express respect or simple politeness. "Oike" and "oyama", which appear in the lyrics, are examples of this. Click this link to learn more about the polite marker "o".
  
  (3) "~ mashou" is a verb ending which indicates the first person's volition or invitation in formal speech. Here are some examples.
  
  • Isshoni eiga ni ikimashou. ????????????? --- Let's go to a movie together.
  • Koohii demo nomimashou. ????????????? --- Shall we have coffee or something?
  • In invitation situations, the subject is usually omitted.
    
    (4) "Bocchan" or "obocchan" is used to refer to a boy. It is an honorific term for "young boy" or "son". It also describes "a green boy; a greenhorn" depending on the context. Here is an example.
    
    • Kare wa obocchan sodachi da. ??????????? --- He was brought up like a tender plant.
    • Female version of this term is "ojouchan" or "ojousan".
      
      (5) Causatives express the idea that someone or something causes, influences, or allows a third party to do something.
      
      • Donguri wa dojou o komaraseta. ??????????????? --- An acorn caused the loach trouble.
      • Chichi o hidoku okoraseta. ?????????? --- I made my father very angry.
      • Kare wa kodomotachi ni sukina dake juusu o nomaseta. ?????????????????????? --- He let the children drink as much as juice they like.
      • Here is how to make a causative form.
        
        • Group 1 Verb: Verb negative form + ~seru
          kaku (to write) --- kakaseru
          kiku (to listen) --- kikaseru
        • Group 2 Verb: Verb tem + ~saseru
          taberu (to eat) --- tabesaseru
          miru (to see) --- misaseru
        • Group 3 Verb (Irregular Verb):
          kuru (to come) --- kosaseru
          suru (to do) --- saseru
        • Click this link to learn more about Japanese verbs.