is a kind of comic

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

, similar in spirit to a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

that relies on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple

joke A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laughter, laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with ...

. ''Dajare'' are popular in advertising. ''Dajare'' are also associated with {{nihongo, ''oyaji'' gags, 親父ギャグ, oyaji gyagu, ''oyaji'' meaning "old man", as an "old man" would be considered by the younger generation most likely to attempt ''dajare'', making them a near equivalent of what would be called " dad jokes" in English.

Examples

With one speaker

Example one: * アルミ缶の上にあるみかん (''arumi kan no ue ni aru mikan'') : Translation: : A tangerine on an aluminum can. : Explanation: : アルミ (''arumi'') means "aluminum", 缶 (''kan'') means "a can", so ''arumi kan'' means "an aluminum can". Also ある (aru) means "exists" and みかん (''

mikan ''Citrus unshiu'' is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as miyagawa mandarin, unshu mikan, cold hardy mandarin, satsuma mandarin, satsuma orange, naartjie, and tangerine. ''Citrus unshiu'' was named after Unshu (Wenzho ...

'') means "a tangerine (mandarin orange)". Example two: * ウランは売らん (''uran wa uran'') : Translation: : I don't sell uranium. : Explanation: : ウラン (''uran'') means uranium, and the second 売らん (''uran'') = uranai (negative form of uru (to sell)) means "not sell". Example three: * ニューヨークで入浴 (''nyūyōku de nyūyoku'') : Translation: : Taking a bath in New York. : Explanation: : ニューヨーク (''nyūyōku'') means New York, 入浴 (''nyūyoku'') means taking a bath. Example four: * レモンの入れもん (''remon no iremon'') : Translation: : A container for a lemon : Explanation: : レモン (''remon'') means "a lemon", 入れもん (''iremon'') = iremono means "a container". Example five: * 布団が吹っ飛んだ (''Futon ga futtonda'') : Translation: : Futon was blown away. : Explanation: : 布団 (''

Futon A is a traditional Japanese style of bedding. A complete futon set consists of a and a . Both elements of a futon bedding set are pliable enough to be folded and stored away in a large during the day. This allows a room to serve as a bedr ...

'') means "a Japanese style mattress", 吹っ飛んだ (''futtonda'') means being blown away.

With two speakers

Example one: : A: 大食いのたけし君も、宇宙ではあまり物を食べられないよ。 (''ōgui no takeshi kun mo, uchū dewa amari mono o taberarenaiyo'') : B: なぜ? (''naze'') : A: 宇宙には空気(食う気)がない。 (''uchū niwa kūki ga nai'') : Translation: : A: In space, even a glutton like Takeshi can't eat anything. : B: Why's that? : A: In space, he has no appetite. : Explanation: : ''Kūki'' (くうき) can mean either "air" (空気) or "will to eat" (食う気), thus what sounds like a perfectly reasonable statement – "in space there is no air" – takes on a much stronger meaning when said in context. Example two:
: A: 向こうの通りにヘイができたんだってね。(''mukou no tōri ni hei ga dekitan datte ne'') : B: へぇー。(''hee...'') : Translation: : A: I hear they finished the wall on the street over there. : B: Well! : Explanation: : The word for "fence" or "wall" here (塀, ''hei'') sounds very similar to the Japanese

interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling or reaction. It is a diverse category, encompassing many different parts of speech, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curse ...

''hee'' (へえ, similar in usage to the phrases "oh yeah?" and "well!"), thus the answer sounds like a repeat of the information in the initial statement. : Another version of this same joke replaces ''hei'' with ''kakoi'' (囲い), which sounds similar to a word meaning something like "cool" or "looks good" (かっこいい).

Children's ''dajare'' (with one speaker)

There are also some jokes mostly used by children that resemble ''dajare''. These are also considered jokes that "everybody knows" in most parts of Japan. These are examples of ''ginatayomi'' (ぎなた読み), which relies on ambiguity in where one word ends and another begins. Example one:
: A: パンつくったことある？ (''pan tsukutta koto aru?'') : Translation: : A: Have you ever made bread before? : Can also be interpreted as: : A: Have you ever eaten underpants before? (パンツ食ったことある？, ''pantsu kutta koto aru?'') Example two:
: A: ねぇ、ちゃんとお風呂入ってる？ (''nee, chanto ofuro haitteru?'') : Translation: : A: Hey, have you been taking a bath (regularly)? Can also be interpreted as:
: A: Do you take baths with your (older) sister? (姉ちゃんとお風呂入ってる？, ''nee-chan to ofuro haitteru?''; the casual ''nee'' combined with the adverb ''chanto'' sounds the same as ''nee-chan to'' meaning "with your (older) sister".)

External links

http://www.kanjiclinic.com/kc72final.htm
Discussion of some ''dajare'' seen in advertising promotions in Japan

Dajare palace, some English
http://dajare.jp/
Dajare Station - Portal Site of Japanese Dajare Japanese word games Humour ja:駄洒落

Examples

With one speaker

With two speakers

Children's ''dajare'' (with one speaker)

See also

External links