作品Free Graded Reading
ミチコサンMichiko-san
Michiko-san
by 新美 南吉 · Niimi Nankichi
A girl named Michiko helps a stranger by holding her baby, feeling the warmth of the child.
About this story
About this storyA kind girl offers to hold a baby while a mother fixes her stroller, leading to a sweet interaction.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseSource
SourceThis 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): 「校定 新美南吉全集第四巻」大日本図書
1980（昭和55）年9月30日初版第1刷発行
1987年（昭和62）年2月15日第3刷発行
Typed in by 高松理恵美. Proofread by 川向直樹.
Yomimaru rewrote this all-katakana text in the hiragana and kanji a modern edition would use.
The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnMichiko offers to hold a baby while the mother organizes the stroller. The baby smiles and grabs her tie. After the mother leaves, Michiko returns home still feeling as if she's holding the baby, and her mother notices.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| ウバグルマ (うばぐるま) | baby carriage, stroller |
|---|---|
| ダツコ (だっこ) | holding (a baby) in one's arms |
| カキマハシ (かきまわし) | to stir up, to rummage |
| オチチクサイ (おちちくさい) | smelling of milk (baby smell) |
| テツキ (てつき) | hand gesture, mannerism with hands |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～てあげる N4Indicates doing something for someone else. Often used in offering help.アカチヤン ダイテテ アゲマセウカ。
- ～ていただけませんか N4Polite request: 'Could you please...?'エエ アリガタウ、デモ オイタボウデ、トツテモ オモイノヨ。
- ～そうだ (様態) N4Looks like; seems like. Based on appearance.オカアサンハ ミチコサンヲ ミルト、
- ～ている N5Progressive or state. 'ing' or state resulting from action.アカチヤンガ ノツテ ヰテ、カキマハシタノデシタ。
- ～のよ (終助詞) N4Sentence ending particle for explanation or emphasis, often used by women.トツテモ オモイノヨ。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Historical Kana Usage (歴史的仮名遣い)The text uses pre-war kana orthography, e.g., ヰ for い, ヱ for え, ヲ for を, カヘツテ for かえって. This reflects early 20th-century writing style. Recognizing these variants is important for reading older texts.
- Polite Speech in Public InteractionsMichiko uses polite forms like アゲマセウカ and イヒマシタ, showing respect to a stranger. The woman also uses polite expressions like スミマセンネ and ホントウニ. This reflects Japanese social norms of politeness in public encounters.
- Baby Carriage (乳母車)The term ウバグルマ (乳母車) literally means 'wet nurse carriage', an older term for baby stroller. Modern Japanese usually uses ベビーカー.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did Michiko offer to hold the baby?
- The baby was crying.
- The woman looked like she needed help.
- Michiko knew the woman.
- The woman asked for help.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipRead aloud to get used to historical kana, e.g., ヰ is 'i', ヱ is 'e'.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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- JLPT reading comprehension strategiesStudy guide · reading strategy
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