Welcome to our Japanese lesson blog. Every week or so, a JOI teacher posts a new entry,
covering a range of Japanese and Japan-related topics. Try reading the Japanese version first,
then scroll down to check your understanding with the English translation.
New Japanese vocabulary, phrases, and usage patterns appear in blue,
with translation and usage notes at the bottom of the text. For a Kanji reading challenge, click the
blue icon below to turn off furigana (the small hiragana above the Kanji). Please enjoy, and check back often
for the latest topic.
この回文は、日本語だけでなく、ほとんどの言語にあるそうです。英語ではPalindromeといいます。たとえば“Madam, I’m Adam.” “A man, a plan, a cat, a bat, a canal-Panama!”などが有名な回文です。あなたの国の言葉では、どんな回文がありますか？
Whether you read them from the front, or read them from the back...
Tomato, shinbunshi, take yabu yaketa, migakanu kagami, watashi ha makemashitawa;try reading these words backwards or from back to front ( you have to read them as kana readings not as alphabetical readings).
Do you see it ?! They are the samewhether read them from the front, or read from them the back
These kind of words are known as kaibun in Japanese. It is said that kaibun were first made in Japan during the 12th century, but they may have been around even before that. There weren't many amusements like computers or TV or game machines like we have today, so in those days word games must have been a great pasttime.
Kaibun are not only in Japanese. Most languages have the same things. In English they are known as Palindromes. For example "Madam I'm Adam" , "A man, a plan, a cat, a bat, a canal - Panama !" are some of the more famous ones. Do you have palindromes or kaibun in your country's language ?
Making palindromes is a kind of puzzle and there are many people who are crazy about this type of game. When I looked up kaibun or palindromes on the net, a lot of sites came up. I soon found myself getting drawn in. (Have a look at the sites above).
Having a go at making Japanese kaibun can be fun. Why not start with a short word like tomato ?
今週の語彙 This week’s vocabulary
■新聞紙 newspaper ■竹やぶ焼けた a bamboo grove was burned ■磨みがかぬ鏡 an unpolished mirror ■私、負けましたわ I lost ( with female ending) ■回文 palindrome ■世紀 century ■娯楽 amusement ■言葉遊 a play on words ■楽しみ pleasure ■言語 language ■有名な famous ■一種 a kind ■マニア freak ■検索 search ■思わず in spite of oneself ■引き込まれる be attracted
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