Japanese wordplay

Japanese wordplay relies on the nuances of the Japanese language and Japanese script for humorous effect, functioning somewhat like a cross between a pun and a spoonerism. Double entendres have a rich history in Japanese entertainment (such as in kakekotoba)^[1] due to the language's large number of homographs (different meanings for a given spelling) and homophones (different meanings for a given pronunciation).

Kakekotoba

Kakekotoba (掛詞) or "pivot words" are an early form of Japanese wordplay used in waka poetry, wherein some words represent two homonyms. The presence of multiple meanings within these words allowed poets to impart more meaning into fewer words.^[1]

Goroawase

Goroawase (語呂合わせ, "phonetic matching") is an especially common form of Japanese wordplay, wherein homophonous words are associated with a given series of letters, numbers or symbols, in order to associate a new meaning with that series. The new words can be used to express a superstition about certain letters or numbers. More commonly, however, goroawase is used as a mnemonic technique, especially in the memorization of numbers such as dates in history, scientific constants and phone numbers.^[2]

Numeric substitution

Every digit has a set of possible phonetic values, due to the variety of valid Japanese kanji readings (kun'yomi and on'yomi) and English-origin pronunciations for numbers in Japanese. Often, readings are created by taking the standard reading and retaining only the first syllable (for example, roku becomes ro). Goroawase substitutions are well known as mnemonics, notably in the selection of memorable telephone numbers used by companies and the memorization of numbers such as years in the study of history.

Mnemonics are formed by selecting a suitable reading for a given number; the tables below list the most common readings, though other readings are also possible. Variants of readings may be produced through consonant voicing (via a dakuten or handakuten) or gemination (via a sokuon), vowel lengthening (via a chōonpu), or the insertion of the nasal mora n (ん).

Number	Kun'yomi readings	On'yomi readings	Transliterations from English readings
0	maru, ma, wa	rei, re	ō, zero, ze
1	hitotsu, hito, hi	ichi, i	wan
2	futatsu, fu, futa, ha	ni, ji, aru	tsu, tsū, tū
3	mittsu, mi	san, sa, za	su, surī
4	yon, yo, yottsu	shi	fō, fā, ho
5	itsutsu, itsu, i	go, ko, ga, ka	faibu, faivu
6	muttsu, mu	roku, ro, ri, ra, ru,^[3] ryū	shikkusu
7	nana, nanatsu, na	shichi	sebun, sevun
8	yattsu, ya	hachi, ha, ba, pa	eito
9	kokonotsu, ko	kyū, ku, gu	nain
10	tō, to, ta	ju, ji	ten^[a]

Examples

11 can be read as "wan-wan", which is commonly used in Japan as an onomatopoeia for a dog barking.
16 can be read as "hi-ro", Hiro being a common Japanese given name. 16 is also a common age for anime and manga protagonists^{[citation needed]} (i.e., heroes).
26 can be read as "fu-ro" (風呂), meaning "bath". Public baths in Japan have reduced entry fees on the 26th day of every month.^[4]
29 can be read as "ni-ku" (肉), meaning "meat". Restaurants and grocery stores have special offers on the 29th day of every month.
39 can be read as "san-kyū", referring to "thank you" in English.
44 can be read as "yo-yo" and is thus a common slang term in the international competitive yo-yo community, which has a strong Japanese presence.
56, read as "ko-ro", is used in 56す, an alternate spelling of the verb "korosu" (殺す, to kill) used on the internet to avoid wordfilters.
89 can be read as "ha-gu", which refers to "hug" in English. August 9th is National Hug Day in Japan.
109 can be read as "tō-kyū". The 109 department store in Shibuya, Tokyo is often read as "ichi-maru-kyū", but the number 109 was selected as the alternative reading "tō-kyū" is a reference to Tokyu Corporation, the group that owns the building.
230 can be read as "fu-mi-o", the given name of former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida. He uses this number in his Twitter handle "kishida230".^[5]
428 can be read as "shi-bu-ya", referring to the Shibuya area of Tokyo, and "yo-tsu-ba" (四つ葉) meaning four-leaf clover.
526 can be read as "ko-ji-ro" in reference to Sasaki Kojiro, a samurai from the Edo period.
634 can be read as "mu-sa-shi". The Tokyo Skytree's height was intentionally set at 634 meters so it would sound like Musashi Province, an old name for the area in which the building stands.^[6]
801 can be read as "ya-o-i" or yaoi, a genre of homoerotic manga typically aimed at women.
893 can be read as "ya-ku-za" (やくざ) or "yakuza".^[7] It is traditionally a bad omen for a student to receive this candidate number for an exam.^{[citation needed]}
1492, the year of European discovery of America, can be read as "i-yo-ku-ni" and appended with "ga mieta" to form the phrase "Alright! I can see land!" (いいよ！国が見えた！). Additionally, "i-yo-ku-ni" itself could simply be interpreted as "It's a good country" (いいよ、国). The alternative reading "i-shi-ku-ni" is also used to memorize the year, though it is not typically associated with a particular meaning.
4649 can be read as "yo-ro-shi-ku" (よろしく), meaning "best regards".
18782 + 18782 = 37564 can be read as "i-ya-na-ya-tsu + i-ya-na-ya-tsu = mi-na-go-ro-shi" (嫌な奴＋嫌な奴＝皆殺し, bad person + bad person = massacre).^[8]^[9]
3.14159265, the first nine digits of pi, can be read as "san-i-shi-i-ko-ku-ni-mu-kou" (産医師異国に向こう), meaning "an obstetrician faces towards a foreign country".

Notes

^ The reading ten is more commonly achieved by reading the decimal point as ten (点), meaning "point".^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b Backhaus, Mio; Backhaus, Peter (27 May 2013). "Oyaji gyagu, more than just cheesy puns". The Japan Times. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^ "Goroawase: Japanese Numbers Wordplay". Tofugu. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2019. The idea is that you can basically use any of these sounds associated with any of these letters to create mnemonics to help someone to remember a phone number.
^ Ptaszynski, Michal. "PUNDA Numbears: Proposal of Goroawase Generating System for Japanese". Academia. The reading ri is referred to as the number "six".
^ 埼玉県. "生活衛生営業／お風呂の日（毎月26日）は銭湯へ" (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 September 2016.
^ "@kishida230" (Fumio Kishida) on Twitter
^ Kyodo News, "Tower's developers considered several figures before finally settling on 634", Japan Times, 23 May 2012, p. 2
^ "What is the origin of yakuza?". www.sljfaq.org. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^ 弁護士のブログ. "弁護士のブログ - 「18782（嫌な奴）」＋「18782（嫌な奴）」＝「37564（皆殺し）」の波紋——過剰反応では？" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^ "【嫌な奴+嫌な奴＝皆殺し】とはどういう意味ですか？ - 日本語に関する質問". HiNative (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 February 2023.

[4] The reading ten is more commonly achieved by reading the decimal point as ten (点), meaning "point".^{[citation needed]}

[:0-1] Backhaus, Mio; Backhaus, Peter (27 May 2013). "Oyaji gyagu, more than just cheesy puns". The Japan Times. Retrieved 3 October 2021.

[2] "Goroawase: Japanese Numbers Wordplay". Tofugu. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2019. The idea is that you can basically use any of these sounds associated with any of these letters to create mnemonics to help someone to remember a phone number.

[3] Ptaszynski, Michal. "PUNDA Numbears: Proposal of Goroawase Generating System for Japanese". Academia. The reading ri is referred to as the number "six".

[5] 埼玉県. "生活衛生営業／お風呂の日（毎月26日）は銭湯へ" (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 September 2016.

[6] "@kishida230" (Fumio Kishida) on Twitter

[7] Kyodo News, "Tower's developers considered several figures before finally settling on 634", Japan Times, 23 May 2012, p. 2

[8] "What is the origin of yakuza?". www.sljfaq.org. Retrieved 3 October 2021.

[9] 弁護士のブログ. "弁護士のブログ - 「18782（嫌な奴）」＋「18782（嫌な奴）」＝「37564（皆殺し）」の波紋——過剰反応では？" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 February 2023.

[10] "【嫌な奴+嫌な奴＝皆殺し】とはどういう意味ですか？ - 日本語に関する質問". HiNative (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 February 2023.

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