Let's Play With the Japanese Wordplay

One unique feature of the Japanese language allow you to use numbers to create phrases that are easy to remember. What is it??

Japanese double entendres have a rich history in Japanese entertainment, because of the way that Japanese words can be read to have several different meanings and pronunciations (homographs). Also, several different spellings for any pronunciation and wildly differing meanings (homophones). Often replacing one spelling with another (synonyms) can give a new meaning to phrases.

Goroawase (語呂合わせ)  is a Japanese wordplay whereby homophonous words are associated with a given series of letters, numbers or symbols, in order to associate a new meaning. The new words can be used to express a superstition about certain letters or numbers. More commonly, however, goroawase is used as a mnemonic technique, especially in the memorization of numbers such as scientific constants, dates in history, and phone numbers. With numbers only, there are three different ways (or more) to read each one of them, On’yomi, Kun’yomi and English reading(s) of numbers.

Goroawase substitutions are well known as mnemonics, notably in the selection of memorable telephone numbers for commercial services, and in the memorization of numbers such as years in the study of history.

Mnemonics are formed by selecting a fitting reading for a given number from the list below.

Number	Japanese kunyomi readings	Japanese onyomi readings	Transliterations from English readings
0	maru, ma	rei, re	o, zero, ze
1	hitotsu, hito, hi	ichi, i	wan
2	futatsu, fu, futa	ni	tsū, tū
3	mitsu, mi	san, sa	surī
4	yon, yo, yotsu	shi	fō
5	itsutsu, itsu	go, ko	faibu, faivu
6	mutsu, mu	roku, ro	shikkusu
7	nana, nanatsu, na	shichi	sebun, sevun
8	yatsu, ya	hachi, ha, ba	eito
9	kokonotsu, ko	kyu, ku	nain
10	tō	ju, ji	ten

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Here are the examples

From the image above, you have 母に美味しい (haha ni oishii, good tasting to your mom). Derived as follows
８＝ハ, ８＝ハ, ２＝に, ０＝オ, １＝イ, ４＝シ, １＝イ. Considering this was a number for a rice-related thing, it makes sense.
This rice tastes good to your mom!

Mnemonics

Probably Japan's most famous mnemonic helps history students memorize A.D. 794, the year the ancient capital of Heian-kyo was founded: It goes, 啼くよ、うぐいす平安京 (Naku yo, uguisu, Heian-kyo, Sing, nightingale, Heian-kyo). Here, the numbers 794 are pronounced na-ku-yo.

This system also can be creatively applied to virtually any historical event. The years of William Shakespeare's birth and death, which are 1564 and 1616, can be arranged to read 人殺し（も）いろいろ (Hitogoroshi [mo] iroiro, various kinds of murders — such as in Hamlet or Macbeth). To get this, the numbers are read: 1 (hito) 5 (go) 6 (ro) 4 (shi) with "mo" added as a connector and then 1 (i) 6 (ro) 1 (i) 6 (ro).

1492 (the year of discovery of America) can be memorized as: iyo! kuni ga mieta! (derived as follows: i (1) yo (4)! ku (9) ni (2) (ga mieta)!), meaning: "Wow! I can see land!" or i (1) yo (4)! ku (9) ni (2), It's good country.

23564 (23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds, the length of a sidereal day) can be read "ni-san-go-ro-shi", which sounds very similar to "nii-san koroshi" (兄さん殺し), or in English killing one's brother.

3.14159265 (Pi) can be read "san-i-shi-i-ko-ku-ni-mu-ko"(産医師異国に向こう), meaning "An obstetrician goes to foreign country.".

Dates

Now, if you want to be super dorky, you can start taking dates of the year and making days out of them (puns are the ultimate form of comedy, after all), you totally can now. There isn’t really anything like this in English, as far as I can tell (at least to this extent). There’s like something for every third day in Japanese, so if you’re a fan of weird, partially non-existent, made-up goroawase holidays, look no further.

There’s a list of a ton of them over here – here is some of my favorite ones, though.

August 8th, happens to be Haha-no-Hi (ハハの日, Laughter Day). It was accorded such status because 8/8 can be pronounced "ha-ha." Haha also happens to mean mother, and 88 can also be read "papa," but Japan already observes Mother's Day in May and Father's Day in June.

And if you're suffering stiffness in the joints from the humid summer weather, take note that tomorrow, Aug. 9, will be 鍼灸の日 (Hari-kyu no Hi, Acupuncture and Moxibustion Day).

Feeling poetic? Friday Aug. 19, is Haiku-no-Hi (バイクの日 or 俳句の日, Haiku Day), since 8-1-9 can be pronounced ha-i-ku.

Like Fruit? January 5th Ichigo-no-Hi (イチゴの日, Strawberry Day).

August 7th バナナの日 (Banana no Hi, Banana Day). Just add the 濁点 (dakuten, two dots) to "ha" and you've got ba, which also happens to be how 8 is pronounced in Mandarin Chinese. So 8/7 can be read "ba-nana."

And my girlfriend's birthday, July 4th, Nashi-no-Hi (梨の日, Pear Day)^^.

Other Words

4649 "yoroshiku" (derived as follows: "yo" (4) "ro" (6) "shi" (4) "ku" (9)) - "Nice to meet you."

18782 can be read "i-ya-na-ya-tsu" (いやなやつ) – unpleasant guy

37564 can be read "mi-na-go-ro-shi" (みなごろし) - massacre, or kill them all.

893 can be read "ya-ku-za" (やくざ) or Yakuza. It is traditionally a bad omen for a student to receive this candidate number for an examination.

573 stands for "ko-na-mi" or Konami. This number appears in many Konami telephone numbers and as a high score in Konami games.

765 stands for "na-mu-ko" or Namco. Derivatives of this number can be found in dozens of Namco produced video games.

.59 "ten go ku" is the title of a song from the Konami game beatmania IIDX. "Tengoku" (天国) means heaven.

3923 "san kyu ni san", or "Thank you Nissan!" (Nii-san means elder brother, so it is more like "Thank you,
brother."). Found in the Online Comics of NBC TV Show Heroes, for which Nissan is a sponsor.

634　"mu sa shi", intentionally set the height of Tokyo Sky Tree sounds like Musashi Province or Miyamoto Musashi, easy to remember among Japanese.

801 "ya o i" or yaoi, homosexual themed manga typically aimed at women

39 can be read as "san-kyu" (thank you); or"mi-ku", as in Hatsune Miku

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Once you master the basics, it should be easy to turn out goroawase on your own. But if you find yourself hamstrung, try logging on to seoi.net/goro/, a site that automatically generates goroawase for numbers of up to nine digits.

Any suggestions out there? 4-6-4-9! (yoroshiku, please remember me).