# Any Interesting Japanese Word Games? **URL:** \ **Category:** Japanese Language\ **Created:** [October 4, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259 "2020-10-04T16:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kurowasan1](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@kurowasan1](https://community.wanikani.com/u/kurowasan1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/1 "2020-10-04T16:54:09Z")
Hi there! I appreciate games like Scrabble, Boggle, Scattergories and I thought that Japanese with its many homophones and kanjis could lead to interesting word games. I already know about shiritori and I have also seen a Scrabble-equivalent game named Mojipittan. Besides these two, do you know any other interesting japanese word games? Thanks in advance! P.S. although I use WaniKani for a long time, this is my first message on the forum ^ ^, so よろしくお願ねがいします ! ---
**Author:** ![Joeni](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/joeni/32/632588_2.png) [@Joeni](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Joeni)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/2 "2020-10-04T16:55:57Z")
I’m afraid I can’t help with any games, but… \textcolor{pink}{\huge \textsf{WELCOME! ^-^}} Even if you’ve been a member for a while, so aren’t really new hehe ![welcome gif - crabigator](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/1/d/b/1db6f4cae65798c0d2df82996a8ba03589212d07.gif) Take the time to check out the [FAQ](https://www.wanikani.com/faq) and [GUIDE](https://www.wanikani.com/guide) if you haven’t already… …but you probably have, because you seem like you’re diligent and awesome like that ^-^ There’s also a lot of good stuff on the forum to help you… …that you’ve likewise probably already seen, but it still worth mentiioning! [The Ultimate Guide for WK](https://community.wanikani.com/t/my-journey-of-368-days-the-ultimate-guide-for-wk/31318/2) [The Ultimate Additional Japanese Resources List!](https://community.wanikani.com/t/the-ultimate-additional-japanese-resources-list/16859) [The New And Improved List Of API and Third Party Apps](https://community.wanikani.com/t/the-new-and-improved-list-of-api-and-third-party-apps/7694) I hope that you continue to enjoy WaniKani that your worship of the Crabigator is eternal! ---
**Author:** ![Saida](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/saida/32/348936_2.png) [@Saida](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Saida)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/3 "2020-10-04T16:58:20Z")
カタカナーシ is a game where you can’t use katakana words to describe a word or something. I haven’t played it yet, but it seems fun! [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/e/7/c/e7c4fb2462f925d5baa06d3c085c7b962f3be9ca.jpeg "『カタカナーシ』説明動画") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyKOHZerFmU) ---
**Author:** ![RoseWagsBlue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/rosewagsblue/32/713093_2.png) [@RoseWagsBlue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/RoseWagsBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/4 "2020-10-04T17:03:03Z")
Welcome to Wanikani! Here is my game: > [@Say Something About The Kanji Above You](https://community.wanikani.com/t/say-something-about-the-kanji-above-you/46094): > > Say something about the kanji that the person above you posts. It can be a definition, a description, a word using the kanji, a bit of history, or whatever you please. It can be from your mind or any other source. Post your own kanji. It may be related in some way to the kanji you are responding to, or it may not. You may include some information about your own kanji if you want. ---
**Author:** ![kurowasan1](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@kurowasan1](https://community.wanikani.com/u/kurowasan1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/5 "2020-10-04T17:12:31Z")
Seems fun! I have to try it one day! ---
**Author:** ![kurowasan1](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@kurowasan1](https://community.wanikani.com/u/kurowasan1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/6 "2020-10-04T17:15:32Z")
Nice! This is a good example of the kind of game I’m looking for: I can’t see an equivalent in my first language. ---
**Author:** ![Belthazar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/belthazar/32/4469_2.png) [@Belthazar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Belthazar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/7 "2020-10-04T21:48:00Z")
[Crosswords](https://community.wanikani.com/t/solving-crosswords-for-fun-and-profit/30728)? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wolfennights](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/wolfennights/32/258770_2.png) [@Wolfennights](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Wolfennights)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/8 "2020-10-04T22:24:20Z")
I’ve heard of a game where you say a word, and whoever is next starts the next word with the same ending character as the previous word. If you use a word that ends with ん you lose. That’s the only one I can think of and I’m not sure if there are any other rules to it. ---
**Author:** ![Belthazar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/belthazar/32/4469_2.png) [@Belthazar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Belthazar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/9 "2020-10-04T22:42:16Z")
> [@Wolfennights](#): > > That’s the only one I can think of and I’m not sure if there are any other rules to it. That’s shiritori, which OP mentioned. Other rules are it must be a noun, and you can’t repeat a word someone already said. There’s also optional house rules which cover what happens when it comes to dakuten or glides or the katakana long-vowel mark, but yeah. ---
**Author:** ![JuiceS](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/juices/32/371203_2.png) [@JuiceS](https://community.wanikani.com/u/JuiceS)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/10 "2020-10-04T22:52:46Z")
My japanese teacher once brought a kind of card game: one set has all the hiragana on it and you spread it out on the table with the symbold visible. The other set has short poems on it where every word (at least I think it’s every word; might also just be the first word in the sentence) begins with the same syllable and which is read out loud for everyone by one of the players. You have to recognize which that is and slap your hand on the corresponding hiragana-card. The one who got the most cards right first, wins. I think there’s also a variation with kanji. It’s called something like “100 poems” if i remember correctly. ---
**Author:** ![ShinobuSagi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/shinobusagi/32/579238_2.png) [@ShinobuSagi](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ShinobuSagi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/11 "2020-10-05T00:34:37Z")
That would be 歌うた[がるた](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uta-garuta), based on the so-called “One Hundread Each” or 百人一首ひゃくにんいっしゅ collection: a bunch of poems that have been famous since at least the 12th century. There’s even a serious competitive scene (on a national level!) of this game, as well as a manga, anime, drama and live-action films. ---
**Author:** ![ABCDEFGHIJ](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@ABCDEFGHIJ](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ABCDEFGHIJ)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/12 "2020-10-05T01:16:42Z")
There is a game called ワードウルフ [word wolf]. Which is played like this. [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/7/5/67515f8f238418efb306bc139523275fd5449e0a.jpeg "【大流行】初めてのワードウルフで爆笑と引き換えに1人だけ酷い目にあったwww") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwouiibxHI0) ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/13 "2020-10-05T04:12:42Z")
> [@Belthazar](#): > > and you can’t repeat a word someone already said. > **A very necessary rule, at that.** > > ![i-067x](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/f/5/f/f5fcc5b87ec465fdf47f4a10138b6d59a02e7e42.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ShinobuSagi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/shinobusagi/32/579238_2.png) [@ShinobuSagi](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ShinobuSagi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:42am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/14 "2020-10-05T05:42:44Z")
@Saida 先週、あの「ワードウルフ」というゲーム をやっただろう？ルーク先生のクラスで。 ---
**Author:** ![Chella1788](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@Chella1788](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Chella1788)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/15 "2020-10-05T06:36:18Z")
I saw my students playing this game once where they were specifically trying to make nonsense words. It’s like shiritori in that you’re using the last character said by the person before you, except unlike shiritori, it’s a completely spoken game. Additionally, you have to use 3 syllables, the second of which MUST be ん. Also, it’s typically done to a beat, so you have very limited time to respond. Example: Everyone: _clap_ _clap_ Person 1: あんぼ _clap_ _clap_ 2: ぼんぱ _clap_ _clap_ 3: ぱんち But since パンチ is a real word, person 3 loses. That said, because you WANT to make words that are nonsense, it might actually take a higher command of the language. ---
**Author:** ![morteASD](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/morteasd/32/43138_2.png) [@morteASD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/morteASD)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/16 "2020-10-05T08:35:55Z")
There goes half my vocab 😂. This seems pretty advanced when even Japanese have problems doing it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/2/a/62a8b0f4c59ff2c5b6651ffcf43531480b3e5297.png) [@system](https://community.wanikani.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 8:36am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/any-interesting-japanese-word-games/46259/17 "2021-10-05T08:36:30Z")
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