The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s a clear moral tale with a calm rhythm: help, reward, greed, consequence. For bedtime, the theme ‘be kind and be satisfied’ is easy to carry into the next day.

Story Synopsis

An old man finds a little sparrow hurt and hungry. He gently cares for it—feeding it, speaking softly, and treating the small creature like it matters. The sparrow recovers and becomes a cheerful companion. But the old man’s wife is harsh and impatient. When the sparrow pecks at a bit of starch or food, she lashes out in anger. In many versions, she cruelly cuts the sparrow’s tongue, and the bird flies away in pain. The old man is heartbroken and goes searching, calling for the sparrow through the woods. At last he finds the sparrow’s home, where the sparrow and other birds welcome him kindly. They thank him for his gentleness and offer him a reward: he may choose one of two baskets (often described as a small one and a large one). The old man chooses modestly, and inside he finds treasure enough to live comfortably. When the greedy wife hears, she storms to the sparrow’s home demanding more. She chooses the biggest basket and, on her way home, can’t resist peeking inside. The basket releases frightening creatures or trouble, and she ends up with nothing—learning, too late, the cost of greed. The Tongue-Cut Sparrow is a folktale about how kindness invites kindness back, and how ‘enough’ is a wise word.

Story Excerpt

Long, long ago in Japan, there lived an old man and his wife in a small, simple home. The old man was gentle and hardworking. He rose early, went out to the fields, and did his best each day. His wife, however, was often sharp and grumbly. From morning until night, it seemed she could find something to complain about. The old man had learned not to answer back. He kept his kindness quiet and steady, like a lantern that keeps shining even in wind. Because they had no children, the old man found comfort in a small pet sparrow he had raised. He loved her as if she were his own little daughter. When he came home tired, he would open her cage and let her flutter about the room. He spoke to her softly, taught her tiny tricks, and laughed when she bowed her head just right. At supper, he always saved a few tasty crumbs. “ Here you are, Suzume San, ” he would say, and the sparrow would hop close, bright - eyed, pleased to be noticed. One day, the old man went into the forest to chop wood. The old woman stayed home to wash clothes. The day before, she had made a bowl of rice paste to use for starching. Now, when she went to fetch it, she found the bowl empty. “ All gone! ” she snapped, staring at it as if it had insulted her. She turned the bowl this way and that, as if the paste might be hiding. Then she heard a soft flutter. Down flew the sparrow. She landed neatly, bowed her…

In One Glance