作品Free Graded Reading
女の姿The Woman's Figure
Onna no Sugata
by 田中 貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō
A woman appears by a student's bed at night, but is she real or a ghost?
About this story
About this storyAn art student staying home alone encounters the ghostly figure of a woman one summer night.
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): 「日本怪談大全 第二巻 幽霊の館」国書刊行会
1995（平成7）年8月2日初版第1刷発行
Typed in by 川山隆. Proofread by 門田裕志.
Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, and replaced some archaic words with modern ones.
The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThree art students rent a house in Hongo, Tokyo. One refuses to join the others at a festival, claiming lack of money. He later sees a woman ghost sitting by his pillow. He leaves the next day. Later, the remaining two also see the ghost and move out.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 杖頭 (じょうとう) | pocket money; travel expenses |
|---|---|
| 縁日 (えんにち) | temple festival day |
| 蚊帳 (かや) | mosquito net |
| 洋燈 (ようとう) | oil lamp; kerosene lamp |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～たがる N4Indicates that someone wants to do something (third person).二人の者は散歩に往こうと云いだしたが、一人は従わなかった。
- ～て往く (ていく) N5Auxiliary verb indicating movement away from speaker, or continuation.二人の生徒が出かけて往ったので、
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- 縁日 (En'nichi)A temple or shrine festival day, often with stalls and entertainment. In the story, it gives the students a reason to go out.
- 蚊帳 (Kaya)A traditional Japanese mosquito net hung over a sleeping area. It was commonly used before modern insect repellents.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did one student refuse to go to the festival?
- He was tired.
- He had no pocket money.
- He was afraid of ghosts.
- He wanted to read alone.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the classical conjugations of verbs, e.g., 往こう (いこう) is volitional form of 行く.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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