いろはカルタ

also: いろはがるた

Meanings

iroha karuta; Japanese matching card game

usually written using kana alonecard games

A traditional card game usually consisting of 48 reading cards and 48 picture cards, often played during New Year. The name comes from the iroha poem used on the cards.

お正しょう月がつに家か族ぞくでいろはカルタをして遊あそんだ。
We played iroha karuta with the family during New Year.
いろはカルタの読よみ札ふだを聞きいて、絵え札ふだを取とる。
Listen to the reading card and grab the matching picture card in iroha karuta.

Kanji

歌song, sing
留detain, fasten, halt
多many, frequent, much
伊Italy, that one
呂spine, backbone
波waves, billows, Poland

Related words

百ひゃく人にん一いっ首しゅ
Hyakunin Isshu is a poetry-based card game using 100 waka poems, while iroha karuta uses the 48 hiragana of the iroha poem and is often more accessible for children.
カルタ
Karuta is the general term for Japanese playing cards or card games; iroha karuta is a specific traditional variant.

Written forms

いろはカルタ
Standard modern spelling; the word is usually written in kana, with カルタ often in katakana.
いろはガルタ
Variant with voiced initial in ガルタ, reflecting a common pronunciation.
いろはがるた
kana-only spelling
All-hiragana spelling of the voiced variant.
いろは歌留多
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
- いろはかるた
  Ateji kanji spelling; rarely used.
- いろはガルタ
伊呂波歌留多
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
- いろはかるた
  Ateji kanji spelling with 伊呂波 for いろは; very rare.
- いろはガルタ

Etymology

From いろは (iroha, the traditional ordering of Japanese kana) + カルタ (karuta, from Portuguese 'carta', meaning card). The game uses the iroha poem as the basis for the reading cards.