Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
子供の頃のお正月は、凧揚げや羽根突きをして遊ばれましたか？ — When you were a child, did you fly kites and play hanetsuki at New Year's? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N3)
You
子供の頃のお正月は、凧揚げや羽根突きをして遊ばれましたか？
こどものころのおしょうがつは、たこあげやはねつきをしてあそばれましたか？
When you were a child, did you fly kites and play hanetsuki at New Year's?
Romaji: Kodomo no koro no Oshougatsu wa, takoage ya hanetsuki wo shite asobaremashita ka? / Reply Romaji: Ee, otoko no ko wa tako, onna no ko wa hanetsuki ne. Makenai you ni hisshi datta wa.
Reply
ええ、男の子は凧、女の子は羽根突きね。負けないように必死だったわ。
ええ、おとこのこはたこ、おんなのこははねつきね。まけないようにひっしだったわ。
Yes, boys flew kites, girls played hanetsuki. We were so determined not to lose.
Gesture & etiquette
If they describe hanetsuki, mime the paddle motion gently with one hand. If they laugh remembering ink marks on losers' faces, laugh warmly with them. These are joyful memories—match their lively energy.
Traditional New Year's games: 凧揚げ (kite flying, mostly boys), 羽根突き (battledore/shuttlecock with wooden paddles, mostly girls—losers got ink marks on their faces), 福笑い (blindfolded face-arrangement game), すごろく (board game), 百人一首 (poem-card matching). These shared childhood games unlock warm communal memories.