じゃん拳

Japanese

Kanji in this term
拳
けん Grade: S
on'yomi

Etymology

There were various similar games originating in China that were played with the fist (拳, Japanese reading of ken). Possible derivations of janken include a shift from the Chinese pronunciation of 兩拳 / 两拳 (literally “both fists, two fists”),^[1]^[2] perhaps the Min Nan reading liáng kûn, or a shift from 石拳 (shakken, literally “stone fist”), suggested also by the game's alternative name of 石拳 (ishiken, using the kun'yomi of ishi for the 石 character).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) じゃんけん [jàńkéꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [3])^[3]^[4]^[5]
(Tokyo) じゃんけん [jàńkéń] (Heiban – [0])^[3]^[4]^[5]
(Tokyo) じゃんけん [jáꜜǹkèǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[5]
IPA^(key): [d͡ʑã̠ŋkẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

じゃん拳(けん) • (janken)

rock paper scissors (popular children's game)

Synonyms

石(いし)拳(けん) (ishiken)
じゃんけんぽい (jankenpoi)
じゃんけんぽん (jankenpon)

Derived terms

じゃんけんしょうぎ (jankenshōgi)

Verb

じゃん拳(けん)する • (janken suru) suru (stem じゃん拳(けん)し (janken shi), past じゃん拳(けん)した (janken shita))

to play rock paper scissors (popular child's game)

Conjugation

Conjugation of "じゃん拳する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	じゃん拳し	じゃんけんし	janken shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	じゃん拳し	じゃんけんし	janken shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	じゃん拳する	じゃんけんする	janken suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	じゃん拳する	じゃんけんする	janken suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	じゃん拳すれ	じゃんけんすれ	janken sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	じゃん拳せよ¹ じゃん拳しろ²	じゃんけんせよ¹ じゃんけんしろ²	janken seyo¹ janken shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	じゃん拳される	じゃんけんされる	janken sareru
Causative	じゃん拳させるじゃん拳さす	じゃんけんさせるじゃんけんさす	janken saseru janken sasu
Potential	じゃん拳できる	じゃんけんできる	janken dekiru
Volitional	じゃん拳しよう	じゃんけんしよう	janken shiyō
Negative	じゃん拳しない	じゃんけんしない	janken shinai
Negative continuative	じゃん拳せず	じゃんけんせず	janken sezu
Formal	じゃん拳します	じゃんけんします	janken shimasu
Perfective	じゃん拳した	じゃんけんした	janken shita
Conjunctive	じゃん拳して	じゃんけんして	janken shite
Hypothetical conditional	じゃん拳すれば	じゃんけんすれば	janken sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Descendants

English: janken

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

散歩道２・じゃんけん

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJS-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK5-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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