What JLPT level is 狐に化された話?

狐に化された話 is suitable for JLPT N2 level readers (estimated JLPT N2).

How long does 狐に化された話 take to read?

狐に化された話 takes about 22 minutes (around 1537 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

狐に化された話The Story of Being Tricked by a Fox

Kitsune ni Bakasareta Hanashi

by 土田耕平 · Tsuchida Kōhei

JLPT N2Short StoryClassical / archaicQuiz ready

A grandmother's eerie tale of being tricked by a fox on a moonlit night.

About this story

A grandmother shares a spooky childhood memory of being tricked by a fox.

Read a sample in Japanese

枕もとの障子に笹の葉のかげがうつりました。「太郎や、お月さまが出ましたよ。」とおばあさんが言いました。太郎さんは顔をあげて、おもしろく模様形をした笹の葉のかげを、しばらく見ていましたが、「障子をあけて見ようかね、おばあさん。」「いいえ、外は寒いからこのままがいいよ。」秋の夜は早く更けてこおろぎの声がほそぼそとひびいています。太郎さんとおばあさんは、一つ夜具の中に枕をならべて寝ているのであります。障子にさす月あかりが、ほんのりと白く二人の顔を浮き出すように見せています。やがて太郎さんは、「おばあさん、何か話をして！」「まあお待ち、今考えているところだよ。」とおばあさんは障子の方へ向けていた目を太郎さんの顔へ移し、「今夜はちょっと恐い話をして聞かせようぞ。」「恐い話ならなおおもしろいや。」「よしよしそれでは狐に化された話をしよう。」「狐に？　誰が化されたの」「おばあさんが。」

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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): 「日本児童文学大系　第九巻」ほるぷ出版
1977（昭和52）年11月20日初刷発行

Typed in by 菅野朋子. Proofread by noriko saito.

Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, and replaced classical grammar and some archaic words with modern ones.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 3 parts.

What you'll learn

On a moonlit night, a grandmother tells her grandson Taro a story from her youth about being tricked by a fox spirit while returning from a bath. The fox created illusions of a river and a storm, but the grandmother realized the deception and struck the fox with her geta.

Language difficultyAdvanced · 85/100

Key vocabulary

障子 (しょうじ)	paper sliding door
狐 (きつね)	fox
行燈 (あんどん)	paper-covered lamp

Grammar points you'll meet

～てゐる (modern: ～ている) N4Progressive or state of being; archaic form of ～ている.
太郎さんとおばあさんは、一つ夜具の中に枕をならべて寝て居るのであります。
～やう (modern: ～よう) N3Archaic form of ～よう, indicating volition or suggestion.
障子をあけて見ようかね、おばあさん。

Cultural notes

Fox Spirits (狐)In Japanese folklore, foxes (kitsune) are believed to have shape-shifting abilities and often trick humans. This story features a fox disguising itself as a villager named Gonbei.
Paper Sliding Doors (障子)Shoji are traditional Japanese sliding doors made of a wooden frame with translucent paper. They are common in older homes and often cast shadows from outside.