"Donguri Korokoro" is about an acorn that rolls into a pond and is met by a type of fish called loaches.

どんぐりころころ - Japanese Children's Songs - Japan - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World  - Intro Image

Notes

*Loach is the name for various Eurasian and African freshwater fish of the carp family.

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Transliteration - Rōmaji (Romanji) of The Rolling Acorn

Donguri Korokoro

Donguri korokoro donburiko
O-ike ni hamatte saa taihen
Dojou ga detekite konnichi wa
Botchan issho ni asobimashou

Donguri korokoro yorokonde
Shibaraku issho ni asonda ga
Yappari o-yama ga koishii to
Naite wa dojou wo komaraseta

どんぐりころころ - Japanese Children's Songs - Japan - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World  - Comment After Song Image
どんぐりころころ - Japanese Children's Songs - Japan - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World 1
どんぐりころころ - Japanese Children's Songs - Japan - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World 2

Comments

Donguri Korokoro 1st published in 1921 or 1922.

Music: Tadashi Yanada (1883–1959)
Lyrics: Nagayoshi Aoki (1879-1935)

Listen

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Many thanks to Roxanne Dixon for sending the recording of the schoolchildren singing Donguri Korokoro. Roxanne collected the recording (along with others) on her trip to Japan as part of the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Exchange Program, a Program of the Japanese government to foster goodwill and understanding between the US and Japan.

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Thanks to Susan Pomerantz for playing this tune on piano.

Sheet Music

Sheet Music - どんぐりころころ

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ayako Egawa for contributing and translating "A Rolling Acorn", for providing the sheet music and the photo.

I would also like to thank Masako for creating the Shodo characters. Shodo is the art of brush calligraphy, which originated in China.

Thanks also to Petter Mæhlum for the transliteration and to Monique Palomares for the midi tune of Donguri Korokoro.

Arigato gozaimasu!