[For Seniors] Enjoy Brain Training with Fill-in-the-Blank Shiritori!

Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

Many older adults likely played Shiritori when they were young or with their families.

Shiritori is a familiar game, but this time let’s change things up a bit and try “fill-in-the-blank Shiritori”!

In fill-in-the-blank shiritori, for example, you might give a prompt like “とけい → 〇〇〇 → ゴリラ,” and come up with the answer “イチゴ.”

In fill-in-the-blank Shiritori, the rule is that specific words must fit both before and after.

It requires more thinking than regular Shiritori, so it may help prevent cognitive decline.

It can be played with several people, so it should be fun to collaborate and come up with answers together.

Let’s enjoy some brain training by coming up with lots of answers in a cheerful atmosphere!

[For Seniors] Have Fun Training Your Brain with Fill-in-the-Blank Shiritori! (11–20)

Snowman → 〇〇〇〇 → Kate → 〇〇〇〇〇 → Pickled plum → 〇〇〇 → Irori

See the answer

1: matsutake (matsutake mushroom), 2: Tokyo, 3: field of view / dental association / four seas (depending on context)

Let’s think of words to fill in a shiritori-style puzzle with 5-letter, 4-letter, and 3-letter words! The first one starts with “ma” and ends with “ke.” Other examples include “machiu ke,” “maitake,” and “maekake.” The second is a bit harder: a 5-letter word that starts with “to” and ends with “u,” such as “tōgyū” or “Tōkyū.” For the third, words that start with “shi” and end with “i” include, besides the answer, “shikii” and “shisei.”

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Nakajima Junko

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In conclusion

The fill-in-the-blank shiritori game is great for a mental workout, and the key is to think deeply.

That makes it all the more fun and satisfying when you find the answer, doesn’t it? Writing the questions on a whiteboard or giving hints might make it easier to solve.

Give fill-in-the-blank shiritori a try!