じゃんけん

じゃんけん
noun
rock-paper-scissors
1. rock-paper-scissors
A hand game played between two or more people using three hand shapes: rock (fist), paper (flat hand), and scissors (two fingers extended). Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock.
じゃんけんで順番(じゅんばん)を決(き)めよう。
Let's decide the order with rock-paper-scissors.
じゃんけんで負(ま)けたから、掃除(そうじ)当番(とうばん)になった。
I lost at rock-paper-scissors, so I became the cleaning duty person.
じゃんけんぽん！あいこでしょ！
Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! It's a tie!
The standard chant used when playing

THE THREE HANDS:

  • グー (rock/fist) - beats チョキ
  • チョキ (scissors/peace sign) - beats パー
  • パー (paper/flat hand) - beats グー

PLAYING PHRASES:

  • じゃんけんぽん！ (Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!)
  • あいこでしょ！ (It's a tie! - said when replaying after a draw)
  • 最初(さいしょ)はグー！ (First is rock! - optional starting phrase)

COMMON USES IN JAPAN:

  • Deciding who goes first in games
  • Settling disputes fairly among friends
  • Choosing who pays for a meal (割(わ)り勘(かん) situations)
  • Children's games and classroom activities

VARIATIONS:

  • 後出(あとだ)しじゃんけん (delayed rock-paper-scissors - cheating)
  • 連続(れんぞく)じゃんけん (continuous/tournament style)

COLLOCATIONS:

  • じゃんけんで決(き)める (to decide by rock-paper-scissors)
  • じゃんけんに勝(か)つ (to win at rock-paper-scissors)
  • じゃんけんに負(ま)ける (to lose at rock-paper-scissors)
  • じゃんけんをする (to play rock-paper-scissors)
general
Added 2026.1.18 8:06 · Revised 2026.1.19 21:17
06500/06520_janken