What JLPT level is 前妻の怪異?

前妻の怪異 is suitable for JLPT N2 level readers (estimated JLPT N2).

How long does 前妻の怪異 take to read?

前妻の怪異 takes about 15 minutes (around 1070 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

前妻の怪異The Former Wife's Strange Incident

Zensai no Kaii

by 田中貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō

JLPT N2Short StoryQuiz ready

A haunting ghost story of a jealous wife's spirit terrifying the new family.

About this story

After his wife dies in childbirth, a young man remarries, but strange events involving the former wife begin.

Read a sample in Japanese

長崎市の今博多町、中島川に沿った処に、竹田と言う青年が住んでいた。そこは隣家の高い二階家に遮られて、東に面した窓口から、僅かに朝の半時間ばかり、二尺くらいの陽が射し込むだけで、薄暗い湿っぽい家であった。青年は東京で大学を終えて、暫く山の手に住んでいて帰って来たものであるが、結婚したばかりの美しい妻があり、生活の不安もないので、住宅のことなどはどうでもよかった。従って夫婦の間は情熱的で華やかであった。そのうちに妻が妊娠して、翌年になって男の子を出産したが、ひどい難産のうえに産褥熱で母体が危険になった。青年は幾晩も眠らないで、愛妻を看護する傍、赤ちゃんのために乳貰いに歩いた。病人は夫と赤ちゃんを抱きしめて、「死にたくない、死にたくない、私が死んだら、この子はどうして育つでしょう、それに阿郎も、阿郎も」と言うようなことを言って泣いていたが、数日の後に死んでしまった。

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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): 「伝奇ノ匣6　田中貢太郎日本怪談事典」学研Ｍ文庫、学習研究社
2003（平成15）年10月22日初版発行

Typed in by Hiroshi_O. Proofread by noriko saito.

Yomimaru changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji, replaced some archaic words with modern ones, and rephrased some sentences, keeping their meaning.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.

What you'll learn

A young man named Takeda lives in Nagasaki with his beautiful new wife. She becomes pregnant and dies after a difficult childbirth. He remarries, and the ghost of his first wife begins to appear, leading to a tragic fire that kills the child.

Language difficultyIntermediate-Advanced · 65/100

Key vocabulary

前妻 (まえづま)	first wife
後妻 (あとづま)	second wife
産褥熱 (さんじょくねつ)	puerperal fever
三周忌 (さんしゅうき)	third anniversary of a death

Grammar points you'll meet

～きりで N1Indicates that something occurs only once or is limited. Used with た form.
僅かに朝の半時間ばかり、二尺くらいの陽が射しこむきりで、微暗い湿っぽい家であった。
～たうえに N2Means 'on top of that', 'in addition to'.
ひどい難産のうえに産褥熱で母体が危険になった。
～とともに N3Means 'together with', 'along with'.
洋灯はひっくりかえるとともに、石油に引火して四辺が火になった。

Cultural notes

三周忌 (Third Anniversary of a Death)In Japanese Buddhism, memorial services are held on the anniversary of a death. The third anniversary (三周忌) is an important marker, and families often visit the grave together.
洋灯 (Oil Lamp)Before electricity, Japanese homes often used oil lamps (洋灯) for lighting. They were prone to accidents, as depicted in the story where the lamp falls and causes a fire.