Japanese Ghost Stories to Help Your Language Studies

If you are familiar with children’s TV and games, you might have heard of youkai (妖怪). Youkai are the non-human entities that inhabit this world, and can come from the spirits of animals, minor gods, or even people.

For modern scares, yuurei (幽霊) are the monster of choice. Much like their Western counterparts, a disquieted soul will roam the Earth seeking vengeance against those who wronged it in life. These yuurei are said to haunt everything from hospital hallways to school toilets. As they are almost always vengeful, the word yuurei carries an implied menace.

One of the most famous yuurei is the Kuchisake-onna, (口裂け女). A disquieting ghost that takes the form of a long-haired woman wearing a mask. But why is the Kuchisake-onna special?

The following may save your life one day, so pay attention!

At first she will ask whether she is pretty.

“私きれい？”

Literally translated this would be “I beautiful?” which is not grammatically correct, but given the situation we understand the meaning.

“私はきれいですか？” (watashi wa kire desu ka?) Is long and not particularly scary, so she cuts the particle. A rising intonation at the end of the sentence shows that it is a question without the need for the “ですか？” (desu ka?) marker and is often used in informal situations, like being accosted by a ghost.

If you are wondering what to say, the answer to this question, (even if your partner is not a ghost) is always “はい！” (hai).

She will now peel back her mask and ask “これでも？” (kore demo) You could translate this as being “now too?” Which makes sense as she leans in and show you her mouth, but a more natural translation into English would probably be something along the lines of “how about now?” Again, she foregoes the “ですか？” in favor of a rising intonation.

You must reply with a hearty “ はい！” if you want to live.

If you followed this short guide you will survive. Unfortunately, no matter how you answer you will walk away with a wider smile, which is why this particular yuurei is so famous.

The only thing scarier than Japanese grammar is the kuchisake-onna.

Just try to avoid speaking to long-haired, scissor wielding, mask wearing strangers in abandoned hospitals.

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