Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| じゃん拳 | janken | [d͡ʑã̠ŋkẽ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| じゃん拳ぽん | ||
| じゃんけんぽん | jankenpon | [d͡ʑã̠ŋkẽ̞mpõ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
The term refers to the popular children's game of rock paper scissors. While じゃん拳 is the name of the game, the phrase じゃんけんぽん is the actual chant used by players while they simultaneously reveal their hand gestures.
Which one should you use?
じゃん拳 is the shortened form used to refer to the game itself as a noun. In contrast, じゃんけんぽん is the specific chant used during the act of playing. There is also the variation じゃん拳ぽん.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Japan, じゃんけんぽん may be pronounced as Jan Ken Poi or Jan Ken Don.
How does it change in a sentence?
If players reveal the same gesture, they say あいこ to indicate a tie and signal that they will play again. One might also count せーの before revealing a hand gesture.
How do you pronounce it?
janken
When do people say it?
The full phrase じゃんけんぽん is typically chanted aloud while players reveal their hand gestures at the same time.
Did you know?
- In Japan, じゃんけん is not just for children but is regularly used by adults in professional environments to resolve tie votes or make fair decisions.
- The word じゃん拳 may be a phonetic transformation of the Chinese phrase for 'both fists', which is 兩拳.
- When players tie and say あいこ, they often immediately repeat the chant じゃんけんぽん without the introductory greeting to speed up the resolution.
Examples in context
- じゃんけんぽん。Rock, paper, scissors.This sentence is useful for hearing the chant じゃんけんぽん used during a game.Tatoeba #339375 by Lith, translation #415516 by blay_paul
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding who will do the dishes.
- 大翔 Hirotoどっちが皿を洗うか、じゃん拳で決めよう。docchi ga sara o arau ka, janken de kimeyouLet's decide who washes the dishes with rock paper scissors.
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ。準備はいい？ii yo. junbi wa ii?Okay. Are you ready?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん。じゃん拳ぽん！un. janken pon!Yeah. Rock paper scissors!
- 美咲 Misakiあー！私が負けた！aa! watashi ga maketa!Ah! I lost!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rock paper scissors” translations and entries じゃん拳, じゃんけんぽん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries じゃんけんぽん, じゃん拳, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
