Sei Shōnagon's " Hateful Things " is a famous chapter from her 10th-century masterpiece, The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi). As a lady-in-waiting to Empress Teishi during the Heian period, Shōnagon recorded her observations of court life with sharp wit and brutal honesty. "Hateful Things" (Nikuki Mono) is a curated list of daily annoyances, social faux pas, and petty grievances that she found intolerable. Key Observations from "Hateful Things"

Boorish Behavior: A man who tells stories about his past affairs or a person who interrupts a story to add a detail they happen to know, implying your version is wrong.

The "Hateful Things" essay offers insights into several themes that are still relevant today, including:

Universal and Culturally Specific

Modern readers laugh at “Hateful Things” because they recognize the feelings: the irritation of someone chewing noisily, the annoyance of a door that squeaks. But we must be careful not to universalize too quickly. Shōnagon’s hates are aristocratic hates. She never mentions hunger, cold, or real danger. Her world is one where the worst possible fate is to be awkward or unseemly. A commoner of the same era would have written a very different list (hunger, bandits, crop failure). Thus, the text is also a document of privilege—the freedom to be annoyed by mosquitoes rather than terrified of starvation.

The Unwanted Guest: A visitor who "keeps chattering away" when you are in a hurry to leave.

In the book, Sei Shōnagon includes a section titled "Things That Are Hateful" (, Nikui Mono), which lists things that she finds annoying, distasteful, or irritating. This section is often cited as an example of her wit, humor, and keen observations on human nature.

In this section, Shōnagon details specific scenarios that range from social awkwardness to physical discomfort:

“One has gone to bed. One hears someone approach. One lies still, pretending to sleep, hoping they will go away. But they come in and lie down beside one, even removing their clothes.”