じゃんけん – Rock Paper Scissors in Japan?
Rock Paper Scissors in Japanese is called じゃんけん (janken). Yes, that’s right Japan does have Rock Paper Scissors.
The rules are the same too! So you don’t need to worry about how to play. But if you do play you will need to learn a little Japanese. That’s because in Japan you speak as you play. There are different varieties of じゃんけん. Here I’ll explain what the standard version.
INDEX
What do you say when you play?
So, now that you are ready to play, here is what to say:
「最初はぐー」
「じゃんけんぽん」
「あいこでしょ」
If you know these three phrases then you are all set! Let’s break them down.
最初はぐー
When you start a new じゃんけん game you say:
最初はぐー
first is rock
ぐー is the Japanese way to say rock in じゃんけん. I will explain more about this below though. This phrase is actually optional. Not everyone says it but many do so it is good to know. If you don’t say it then you can just start your game with じゃんけんぽん.
じゃんけんぽん
This is the main, most important phrase. During the fraction of time you are deciding what to choose you say じゃんけんぽん. Right when you say ぽん is when you should have made your choice and have your hand sticking out.
あいこでしょ
Whenever both players have the same hand you say あいこでしょ. This phrase means that it is a tie and to continue playing.
じゃんけん has Specific Words for Rock, Paper, and Scissors
In normal every day Japanese the words used for a rock, paper, or a pair of scissors are:
- 石 – rock
- 紙 – paper
- はさみ – scissors
In じゃんけん though they are called by different names.
ぐー
The sound ぐー symbolizes the image of a fist clenching tightly. Hence, it is the words used to represent rock.
ちょき
ちょきちょき, that is the sound of scissors cutting something in Japanese. So naturally the word used for scissors is ちょき.
ぱー
Finally we have paper. The actual sound ぱー represents something being empty or disappearing. When you have an open hand you are showing nothing is there.
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
