What JLPT level is 提灯?

提灯 is suitable for JLPT N1 level readers (estimated JLPT N1).

How long does 提灯 take to read?

提灯 takes about 26 minutes (around 2061 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

提灯The Paper Lantern

Chōchin

by 田中貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō

JLPT N1Short StoryQuiz ready

A group of friends hear a chilling story about a self-rotating lantern, then embark on a night journey to a seaside inn.

About this story

A group of friends drink in a bar and decide on a trip; one man relates a strange story about a lantern near his lodging.

Read a sample in Japanese

八月はちがつの中ちゅう比ひで国くにへ帰かえる連中れんちゅうはとうに帰かえってしまい、懐ふところの暖あたたかな連中れんちゅうは海岸かいがんへ往ったり山やまへ往ったり、東京とうきょうにいるのは金きんのない奴やつか物臭ものぐさか、其そのあたりのバーの女給じょきゅうにお思召おぼしめしをつけている奴やつか、それでなければ僕ぼく等とうのように酒さけばかり飲のみ歩あるいている奴やつばかりなのでしたよ。ある晩ばん例れいによって僕ぼくと、も一いち人にんの友人ゆうじんとで、本郷ほんごう三さん丁目ちょうめのバーで飲のんでいると、二に人にんの仲間なかまがやって来きたんです。其処しょで四よん人にんの者ものがいっしょになって飲のんでいるうちに、「これから、何処どこかへ旅行りょこうしようじゃないか」と云いいだして、気きまぐれな連中れんちゅうの揃そろいだから、好よかろうと云いうことになって、とうとう其処ところから電車でんしゃに乗のって東京とうきょう駅えきへ往ったのです。それで一ひとつお話はなししておかないといけないことは、其その時ときいっしょに往った山本やまもとと云いう男おとこが酒さけを飲のんでるうちに変へんなことを云いいだしたのです。

Read the full text with furigana + instant lookups in Yomimaru →

Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「日本怪談全集　※［＃ローマ数字3、1-13-23］」桃源社
1974（昭和49）年8月5日発行
1975（昭和50）年8月5日2刷

Typed in by Hiroshi_O. Proofread by 大野裕.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 5 parts.

What you'll learn

The narrator recounts a ghostly experience during a late-night trip to a coastal town. After hearing a strange story about a spinning lamp, a group of friends impulsively travel by train and walk through the dark. They meet a student named Nishimori, who lends them a lantern, only to later realize he had died a month earlier.

Language difficultyIntermediate-Advanced · 65/100

Key vocabulary

懐ふところ	bosom; pocket; (financial) situation
お思召ぼしめし	favor; inclination; liking
地球儀ちきゅうぎ	globe (of the Earth)
駒下駄こまげた	wooden clogs with a single thick tooth
角帽かくぼう	square cap (worn by university students)

Grammar points you'll meet

～ということがもとになって N1This phrase means 'triggered by the fact that...' or 'with that as the starting point...'
山本やまもとの話はなしがもとになって、いろいろと神秘しんぴ的てきな話はなしに入はいってそれから夜よるの旅行りょこうと云いうことになったのです。
～ない（か） N4Negative question form used to suggest or invite, often with explanatory tone.
火ひが見みえたね。「人家じんかがあるだろうか」「提灯ちょうちんじゃないか」
～てから N5After doing... (sequential action).
洗あらってから食たべます。

Cultural notes

怪談 (Ghost Stories)This story is a classic example of a kaidan, a traditional Japanese ghost story often told in the summer to evoke chills. The narrative structure involves a group of friends sharing eerie experiences, leading to a supernatural encounter.
本郷 (Hongo)Hongo is a district in Tokyo known for its university (University of Tokyo) and student culture. The story begins at a bar in Hongo, highlighting the bohemian lifestyle of students in the early 1900s.
海水浴場 (Seaside Resort)The destination is a seaside resort, popular for summer bathing. The friends' impulsive trip reflects a common pastime of escaping the heat of Tokyo.