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じゃんけんぽん (jankenpon) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

じゃんけんぽん

じゃ

ん

け

ん

ぽ

ん

Meanings

1

rock, paper, scissors!

usually written using kana alone

Called out in rhythm before revealing one's hand in the game; equivalent to 'rock, paper, scissors, shoot!'

じゃんけんぽん！あいこでしょ！
Rock, paper, scissors! It's a tie!

2

rock-paper-scissors; janken

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the game itself; often used in compound phrases like じゃんけんぽんをする.

See also: じゃんけん

じゃんけんぽんで勝しょう負ぶを決きめよう。
Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors.

Kanji

拳fist

Related words

じゃんけん
じゃんけん is the standard word for the game; じゃんけんぽん is the rhythmic chant used during play or a more playful name for the game.

Written forms

ジャンケンポン
kana-only spelling
Katakana variant, often used for emphasis or in playful contexts.
じゃん拳けんぽん
Rare kanji spelling; the kanji 拳 is used for 'fist' but this form is seldom seen.

Etymology

Derived from じゃんけん (janken), the game of rock-paper-scissors, with the addition of ぽん, an onomatopoeic element mimicking the sound of hands being shown. The exact origin is uncertain.