A bright flash and a big boom sound: that’s thunderbolt.
近くに落ちたら大変ですね。
If it strikes nearby, it is terrible.
雷の正体は、雲の中に溜まった電気です。
The origin of the thunderbolt is electricity piled up inside the clouds.
その電気が地面の間を流れたとき、「雷が落ちた」というのです。
When that electricity flows (through the space) to the earth’s surface, it is said that “the thunderbolt strikes”.
EDIT: I should have chosen lightning rather than thunderbolt. I was not sure whether the story would be about lightning or thunder, and I thought that thunderbolt stands for both. Is that so in English?
Come to think of it, thunderbolt is probably a better word to use here since 雷 seems to mean both thunder and lightning. I have always thought as thunderbolt as a synonym for lightning though
The second sentence ending with a noun feels very weird. I noticed that a few pages back where the last word was cloud. Seems like Japanese sentences almost always end with a verb or a particle.
１５５：
かみなりは どうして おちるの？
Why does lightning fall down?
ぴかっと 光って、ドーンと 大きな 音がする かみなり。
To shine with a flash, and then make a loud bang, lightning.
近くに おちたら たいへんですね。
To be near where it falls is terrible, isn’t it?
かみなりの 正体は、雲の 中に たまった 電気です。
Lightning’s origin is accumulated electricity within clouds.
その 電気が 雲から 地面に ながれたとき、「かみなりが おちた」と いうのです。
When that electricity flowed from the cloud to the earth’s surface, we say that it was “struck by lightning”.
Sometimes japanese apeech melody sounds like italian, especially in songs. That’s why I often remember the italian word when I am searching for the japanese one.
I guess I’m not the only one who finds themselves speaking Japanese with an Italian accent from time to time then? Especially with words that have a small つ in them!
I liked this page for having to figure out the different forms of ためる. I ended up finding ていく page on bunpro and I’m pretty sure I eventually recognized the negative eba form in the final sentence… but I’m not 100% sure since it doesn’t match.
１５６：
では、かみなりは どのようにして おこるのでしょうか。
Then, how do you think lightning happens?
かみなりを おこすのは、モクモクと こぶを ふくらませながら 空に そびえる 「入道雲」です。
“Cumulonimbus clouds” that rise in the sky and, when billowing up, expand are the ones that bring about lightning.
入道雲の 中では、雲の もとである 氷の つぶが はげしく ぶつかりあって、電気が 生まれます。
Within cumulonimbus clouds, the cloud’s origin has beads of ice violently colliding and gives birth to electricity.
そして、雲は 大きくなりながら、電気を どんどん ためていきます。
Thus, while the cloud grows, electricity continues to steadily amass.
Before long, if it can no longer amass, electricity instantly flows through the space between the cloud and the earth’s surface, and becomes lightning.
I think I was combining things I’ve seen in my head, specifically ためきれなくなった reminded me of なくちゃ combined with えば form but it doesn’t quite fit.
Checking the vocab sheet I see that that’s actually on there now. I think before it just had ためきれない which I didn’t understand. Even reading 切れない page on bunpro I’m still confused where we get なくなった…
Not sure about that one. I thought it was きれない which is listed as an い-adjective - meaning in the past it is きれなくなかった. But that’s different to what’s in the text.
EDIT - ah, it’s きれない in the adverb form きれなく, followed by なった (なる in past form).
Wiktionary says: A belief in ancient times was that rice plants would mate with or otherwise be fertilized by lightning, a frequent occurrence in the late summer and autumn when rice plants come to fruition.
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