About

These are the official Shiritori rules. Please read them carefully before starting. Article 1 (Purpose) These rules are established to ensure that Shiritori is played fairly and enjoyably. Article 2 (Basic Gameplay) Players take turns saying words. The next person must say a word that starts with the last character (sound) of the word said by the previous person. Words that have already been used cannot be reused. If a player cannot think of a word, says an incorrect word, or says a word ending in "n," they are immediately eliminated or penalized one point. Whether to use an elimination system or a point system will be decided by the agreement of all participants before the game starts. The last player remaining (in elimination mode) or the player with the fewest penalties (in point mode) wins. Examples of incorrect answers: Words not found in the dictionary. Example: "Secret Mystery" Words already used. Example: "Cat → Cat" Homonyms where the meaning or pronunciation is unclear. Example: If the player cannot explain whether they mean "Bridge" or "Chopsticks." Article 3 (Word Rules) 3-1 Nouns are the standard. Numerals are treated the same as nouns. 3-2 Criteria for usable words Words recognized by all participants. Example: "Smartphone" Words listed in a general Japanese dictionary or words with confirmed practical usage. Example: "Apple" 3-3 Handling of numerals (unit specification) Usable numerals: Basic numerals (1-9), units (ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, etc.) Compound numerals (e.g., eleven, two hundred, three thousand) are not allowed. Numerals can be used in Shiritori just like regular nouns. Example: "Mittsu (Three) → Tsuki (Moon)" 3-4 Handling of dialects Dialects are allowed. However, understanding or an explanation and agreement from all participants is required. Example: "Beko (Tohoku region: Cow)" 3-5 Handling of homonyms Allowed only if the meanings are clearly different. Use requires an explanation of the meaning and correct pronunciation. Example: "Hashi (Bridge / Chopsticks)" 3-6 Handling of compound words Limited to those generally recognized as a single word. Must be in the dictionary or have confirmed practical usage. Example: "Electric vehicle" 3-7 Handling of loanwords and foreign place names Allowed only if they have a Japanese transcription (Katakana). Example: "Pasta," "Los Angeles" Article 4 (Characters and Sounds) Contracted sounds (sha, shu, sho, cha, chu, cho, etc.): If they appear at the end of a word, that specific sound is treated as the starting character for the next word. Example: "Isha (Doctor)" → The next word starts with "sha." Long vowels "ー": If a word ends in a long vowel, the character immediately preceding it is treated as the starting character for the next word. Example: "Koohii (Coffee)" → The next word starts with "hi." If "ji" (written as ぢ) or "zu" (written as づ) is the last character: They are replaced with the standard "ji" (じ) or "zu" (ず). Example: "Aizu" → The next word starts with "zu."