Japanese word games

120px|right|thumb| Henohenomoheji ( ) or hehenonomoheji () is a face known to be drawn by Japanese schoolchildren using hiragana characters. It became a popular drawing during the Edo period.

thumb|right|200px|A game of shiritori progressing from right to left Shiritori (; ) is a Japanese word game in which the players are required to say a word which begins with the final kana of the previous word. No distinction is made between hiragana, katakana, and kanji. "Shiritori" literally means "taking the end" or "taking the rear".

is a type of a deck of karuta, Japanese traditional playing cards. A set of uta-garuta contains two sets of 100 cards, with a waka poem written on each. Uta-garuta is also the name of the game in which the deck is used. The standard collection of poems used is the Hyakunin Isshu, chosen by poet Fujiwara no Teika in the Kamakura period, which is often also used as the name of the game.

usage of Japanese language conventions to create humor