おせっかい夫人The Meddlesome Wife

About this story

A helpful wife gets involved with a stranger at her neighbor's door, leading to unexpected trouble.

Read a sample in Japanese

Read the full text with furigana + instant lookups in Yomimaru →

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): 「岡本かの子全集2」ちくま文庫、筑摩書房
1994（平成6）年2月24日第1刷発行

Typed in by 門田裕志. Proofread by オサムラヒロ.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

On a sunny spring day, Hanako helps a man who claims to be a neighbor's relative retrieve a bag from the neighbor's house. After letting him in through a window, he leaves with a heavy bundle without thanking her. The man is later revealed to be a burglar.

Key vocabulary

うらうら	calmly and brightly (sunny)
ぼけ	Japanese quince (flowering shrub)
空巣あきすねらい	burglar who targets empty houses

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～てやる N4Do something for someone (often with a sense of giving, but can also imply a favor)

  中位ちゅういなのを一ひとつ借かりて来きて男おとこに手伝てつだわせ国枝くにえさんの湯殿ゆどのの上部じょうぶの硝子がらす窓まどに届とどかせ、少すこし腰弱こしよわそうな男おとこのために梯子はしごの下部かぶまで押おさえてやり

• ～させる (Causative) N4Make/let someone do something; here used to indicate causing the man to reach the window

  中位ちゅういなのを一ひとつ借かりて来きて男おとこに手伝てつだわせ国枝くにえさんの湯殿ゆどのの上部じょうぶの硝子がらす窓まどに届とどかせ

• ～てしまう N4Express completion of an action, often with a sense of regret or finality

  国枝くにえださんのお姑しゅうとさんのお家いえの方ほうででもおありでしょうにね

Cultural notes

• Boke (Japanese quince)The boke (Japanese quince) is a flowering shrub that blooms in early spring. It is often grown in Japanese gardens and its bright red-orange flowers are a symbol of spring. In the story, the boke branches are mentioned as a scenic detail, contrasting with the subsequent intrusion of the burglar.

Try a comprehension question

Topics & grammar