Pop Japan

Shiritori, literally ‘take the rear’, is a simple Japanese word game that expands Japanese vocabulary as you pass time having fun. 

The rules are simple: The players must take turns in ‘chaining’ words. It starts by picking a random word, followed by the next player using the final syllable of player one’s word to say another, starting with the same ‘kana’. The game follows different rules, with the most basic as only nouns are permitted and words may not be repeated. 

The fun won’t stop until one of the players says a word ending with ‘N’ and loses the game. There is no Japanese word that begins with the letter, thereby ending the game.  

Tags: shiritori, japanese, word game, vocabulary, fun, simple, chaining, kana, traditional game