[For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Ultra-Difficult Quizzes and Riddles
Quizzes are an easy activity to join and are one form of recreation that can help stimulate the brain.
Many senior and welfare facilities probably incorporate them as well, don’t they?
One of the great things about quizzes is that you can enjoy learning new facts and gaining new knowledge.
So this time, we’ve prepared a “Super-Difficult Quiz for Seniors” that’s a step up in difficulty from the usual quizzes!
In addition to quizzes, we’ve also gathered tough riddles and kanji problems.
These quizzes are on the challenging side, but solving them should give a real sense of accomplishment.
If the answers don’t come easily, try offering hints and have participants think their way to the solution.
Please make good use of the “Super-Difficult Quiz” and enjoy a fun time!
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[For Seniors] Great for Brain Training! Super-Difficult Quizzes and Riddles (11–20)
Onigiri, which are shaped into triangles or rounds and wrapped with nori to eat—since when have people been eating them?
See the answer
Yayoi period
Onigiri, which you can easily eat by molding rice into a ball, is a familiar food for many older people, isn’t it? Its history is very old—apparently it dates back to the Yayoi period. At an archaeological site in Ishikawa Prefecture, a fossil resembling chimaki was discovered: steamed glutinous rice that had been pressed together and grilled. It may be an everyday food, but it seems to have a long history.
Taro has a ‘black dog’ and a ‘white dog.’ Which dog is the calmer one?
See the answer
black dog
It’s a riddle-style, super difficult quiz. For elderly people who are good with kanji, it might be easy to solve. If you focus on the dog’s color, you can split it into the characters for “dog” and “black.” Combine those two and you get the kanji “黙” (silent). From “to be silent,” you can infer that a quiet dog would be a “black dog.”
How much did the poisoned apple that Snow White was made to eat in the fairy tale cost?
See the answer
9 yen
Many older adults likely know the story of Snow White and have read it to their children. However, the actual tale of Snow White never mentions the price of the poisoned apple. This is a tricky riddle quiz. You can’t eat a “poisoned apple,” right? Let’s convert “can’t eat” (in Japanese, ‘kue-n’) into a play on words: “kue-n” sounds like “9 yen,” which leads you to the answer.
Hanako is trying to take something out of her favorite “bin,” but she can’t. What is that something?
See the answer
crack
There are things other than “objects” or “liquids” that can go into a bin/bottle. The correct answer is “a crack.” In Japanese, we say “a crack forms in a bottle” as “a crack goes into the bottle” (bin ni hibi ga hairu). This question also involves a play on words.
Witty Letter Quiz
It’s a game where you look at letters arranged in unusual shapes or patterns and think about what they represent.
You search for what feels off about the displayed word and unravel it, which leads you to the answer.
If you can’t come up with the answer from the puzzle alone, you can gradually reveal hints and enjoy the feeling of getting closer.
Asking players to find alternative expressions in their heads or expand images from the letters helps stimulate the brain.
Who is the biggest among the doctor, the teacher, and the detective?
Here’s a riddle that challenges you to think in terms of rephrasing! Among a doctor, a teacher, and a detective, who is the biggest? If you think simply, many would say, “It depends on the person, so we can’t know.” But if you consider rewording, you might find the answer.
The answer is the detective.
In Japanese, a detective can be rephrased as “deka,” which also sounds like “big”! Once you get it, it’s a humorous riddle that makes you go, “Ah, I see.” And when you know the answer, you’ll want to share it with someone!
[For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Ultra-Difficult Quizzes and Riddles (21–30)
When my grandchild does a handstand, they transform into a certain food. What food is it?
Let’s try a riddle that plays with words.
When a grandchild stands on their head, they transform into a certain food.
What is it? Many of you may be picturing a cute grandchild doing a handstand.
Here’s a hint: it’s a small food often used as a topping.
The key is the word “mago” (grandchild)! The answer is “goma” (sesame).
If you read “mago” backwards, it becomes “goma.” It’s a humorous riddle that expresses reading a word backwards as doing a handstand.