Previous: How do I write or say a mathematical expression in Japanese?
Next: What Western dates correspond to what Japanese dates?

What are Japanese number puns?

Japanese people often make puns using words to represent numbers, or numbers to represent words. An example is the mnemonic to remember the year 1192, the year of the start of the Kamakura Shogunate, with ii kuni tsukurou (いい国つくろう), where the two ones become ii, "good", the nine becomes ku, and the two becomes ni. The name "Yakuza" for Japanese gangsters also originated from a number; see What is the origin of yakuza? In Japanese the name of these puns is goroawase (語呂合わせ).

Number puns are often used in advertisements as a way of helping people to remember telephone numbers.

External links

Rekishi nengou oboekata (歴史年号覚え方) A list of years when historical events took place, plus numerical puns to help remember them.

sci.lang.japan FAQ
12. Numbers, counting, and dates

Previous: How do I write or say a mathematical expression in Japanese?
Next: What Western dates correspond to what Japanese dates?

If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy policy


Book reviews	Convert Japanese numbers	Handwritten kanji recognition	Stroke order diagrams	Convert Japanese units