じゃんけんぽん

Japanese

Etymology

Unknown. The initial portion is likely from 石拳(しゃっけん) (shakken, literally “stone fist”) or similar; see じゃん拳(けん) (janken). The final portion may be onomatopoeic; compare ボーン (bōn, “kaboom!”), パンパン (panpan, “bang bang!”). Compare also はい (hai, “go! start!”), ほい (hoi, interjection used to call for attention). Attested from the early twentieth century.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じゃんけんぽん [jàńkéꜜǹpòǹ] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑã̠ŋkẽ̞mpõ̞ɴ]

Interjection

じゃんけんぽん • (jankenpon) 

1. used to initiate a round of rock paper scissors and synchronize the start of the game

   Synonyms: じゃんけんぽい (jankenpoi), そーれんぜぃが (sōrenzēga)

   • 1903, Monbusho [Ministry of Education], Jinjō shogakko dokuhon 7.1 [Common elementary school reader]:

     みんなが、いっしょに、おにごとあそび。おにをきめるよ。『じゃん、けん、ぽん』

     Minna ga, issho ni, onigoto asobi. Oni o kimeru yo. “jan, ken, pon”

     Everyone, let’s play tag together. Let’s decide who is it. “jan, ken, pon”

See also

• あいこでしょ (aiko desho, interjection used to play again if players show the same gesture, literally “a tie, isn’t it”)
• あいこでほい (aiko de hoi, interjection used to play again, literally “it’s a tie, hey!”)

Noun

じゃんけんぽん • (jankenpon) 

1. the cry used to initiate rock paper scissors
2. synonym of じゃん拳 (“rock paper scissors”)

Descendants

• → Portuguese: joquempô
• → Tagalog: dyak en poy

References

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