What JLPT level is おもしろい話?

おもしろい話 is suitable for JLPT N2 level readers (estimated JLPT N2).

How long does おもしろい話 take to read?

おもしろい話 takes about 21 minutes (around 1455 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

おもしろい話A Funny Story

Omoshiroi Hanashi

by 畔柳二美 · Kuroyanagi Fumi

JLPT N2ArticleQuiz ready

A hilarious true story about a father's dialect and the trouble it causes.

About this text

A narrator reflects on her father's peculiar habit of adding 'ko' to words, revealing family dynamics and regional dialects.

Read a sample in Japanese

私は、北海道で生れて、北海道で育ち、二十才をすぎてから上京して、三十代を関西で送った。私の父は東北出身だったので、東北のズーズー弁と、北海道生れの、やや標準語に近い母の言葉を手本に私は成長した。私の父は、たいていの品物の下に「こ」をつけて話した。例えば、「あそこの娘っこは、いい娘っこだが、まだ、こつこの犬っこをいじめているようでは、本当のいい娘っことは、いえないな」たいへん機嫌のいい時など、父は、こんなふうに云った。北海道では、父と同じように「こっこ」という言葉はあるが、つづけて、「娘っこ、こつこ」とは云わないので、私たちは、そんなときには腹をかかえて笑った。父はそのほかにも、「茶碗っこ、酒っこ、鍋っこ」などとも云った。あるとき、私は、大いに意気ごんで父に忠告をしたことがあった。「父さん、あのね、あんまり『こ』をつけないほうがいいよ。何となく下品にきこえるもの」

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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): 「言語生活　四十六号」筑摩書房
1955（昭和30）年7月1日発行

Typed in by かな　とよみ. Proofread by 持田和踏.

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 author introduces their background growing up in Hokkaido and the influence of their father's Tohoku dialect, then shares stories about their mother's speech struggles and later experiences with a Kyoto neighbor and a Fukushima maid.

Language difficultyIntermediate · 65/100

Key vocabulary

娘っこ (むすめっこ)	dialectal term for 'girl' or 'daughter'
こつこ	dialectal term for 'this' or possibly 'thing'
ぼたもち	a type of sweet rice cake
花柳界 (かりゅうかい)	the world of geisha and entertainment districts
派出婦 (はしゅつふ)	a home helper or domestic worker sent by an agency

Grammar points you'll meet

～っこ N/AA dialectal suffix used to add familiarity or emphasis, often attached to nouns.
娘っこ、犬っこ、茶碗っこ
～やら N2Used to list items or actions, often with a sense of uncertainty or 'things like'.
医者がくるやら、氷を買うやらの大騒ぎ
～てしまう N4Expresses completion or regret of an action.
おしとおしてしまった
～ものだ N3Emphasizes a general truth or natural expectation.
話ができなくなってしまうときがあるものだ

Cultural notes

Hokkaido DialectHokkaido dialect is influenced by settlers from various regions, especially Tohoku. The suffix '～っこ' is a characteristic feature, as seen in the father's speech.
Kyoto's Gion and PontochoPontocho is a famous geisha district in Kyoto. People raised there, like the neighbor, often use traditional Kyoto dialect (Kyo-kotoba) which can be quite distinct.
Fukushima Dialect (Aizu)The maid from Aizu, Fukushima, speaks a dialect that can be hard for others to understand, reflecting regional variation in Japan.