作品Free Graded Reading
女の膝A Woman's Knee
Onna no Hiza
by 小山内 薫 · Osanai Kaoru
JLPT N1Short StoryClassical / archaicQuiz ready
A man is haunted by a ghostly woman's knee beside his lamp in the dead of night.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe narrator describes his terrifying experience in a haunted house in Kojimachi. He sees a ghostly woman twice, unable to move or speak. He later learns from neighbors that the woman was the abused wife of a previous resident who died cursing her husband.
Language difficultyAdvanced · 85/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 実見 (じっけん) | actual witness |
|---|---|
| 頗る (すこぶる) | extremely |
| 鬼気 (きき) | eerie or ghostly presence |
| 痩躯 (そうく) | thin body |
| 鼡地 (ねずみじ) | mouse-gray pattern |
| 馬乗 (うまのり) | astride (like riding a horse) |
| 主計官 (しゅけいかん) | accounting officer (military) |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～ともつかず N1Indicating that something is neither one thing nor another, or ambiguous.廊下ともつかず座敷ともつかぬ
- ～が最後 N1Emphasizes that once an action is done, something irreversible happens.跳起きようとしたが、躯一躰が嘛痺れたようになって、起きる力も出ない
- ～といって N2Introducing a quote or reason, here showing the wife's dying words.口惜い口惜いといって遂に死んだ
- ～やがて N3Meaning 'before long' or 'eventually'.やがて吻という息を吐いてみると
- ～てみる N4Indicates trying to do something.少し字に書いてみようなら
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- 麹町A historic district in Tokyo (now part of Chiyoda), known for its samurai residences and literary connections.
- お召縮緬A type of silk crepe (縮緬) used for formal or semi-formal kimonos. 'お召' indicates it's a superior quality.
- 紫繻子A purple satin obi (sash), often associated with elegance or formality. The color purple was historically high-status.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat color was the ghost's obi (sash)?
- Red
- Purple
- Gray
- Blue
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipLook for archaic verb endings like ～ぬ (e.g., ～つかぬ) and ～ざる (e.g., ～ならざる) which indicate old-fashioned written style.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese私の実見は、ただのこれが一度だが、実際にいやだった、それはかつて、麹町三番町に住んでいた時なので、その家の間取りというのは、すこぶるまれな、ちょっと字に書いてみようなら、あたかも呂の字の形とでも言おうか、その中央の棒が廊下ともつかず座敷ともつかない、細長い部屋になっていて、妙に悪く陰気で暗いところだった。そして一方の間が、母屋で、また一方が離座敷になっていて、それが私の書斎兼寝室であったのだ。
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