じゃん拳

Japanese

Kanji in this term
拳
けん
Grade: S
on’yomi

Etymology

There were various similar games originating in China that were played with the fist (拳, Japanese reading of ken). Possible derivations of janken include a shift from the Chinese pronunciation of 兩拳/两拳 (literally “both fists, two fists”),[1][2] perhaps the Min Nan reading liáng kûn, or a shift from 石拳 (shakken, literally “stone fist”), suggested also by the game's alternative name of 石拳 (ishiken, using the kun'yomi of ishi for the 石 character).

Pronunciation

Noun

じゃん拳(けん) • (janken) 

  1. rock paper scissors (popular children's game)

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • じゃんけんしょうぎ (jankenshōgi)

See also

  • グー (gū, “rock”, in a game of rock, paper, scissors)
  • チョキ (choki, “scissors”, in a game of rock, paper, scissors)
  • パー (pā, “paper”, in a game of rock, paper, scissors)

Verb

じゃん拳(けん)する • (janken suru) suru (stem じゃん拳(けん)し (janken shi), past じゃん拳(けん)した (janken shita))

  1. to play rock paper scissors (popular child's game)

Conjugation

Descendants

  • English: janken

References

  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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