[For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Ultra-Difficult Quizzes and Riddles

What is the “comb” that pokes its head out of the soil sprout by sprout when spring comes?

Alright, let’s take on a riddle that feels satisfying once you know the answer.

What is the “comb” that sprouts up from the soil in the spring? You can see many kinds of plants in spring, but the key here is the word “comb.” The onomatopoeia “nyoki-nyoki” (meaning something sprouting or popping up one after another) is also a clue.

The answer is tsukushi (field horsetail).

Tsukushi is a type of plant seen in spring and is the young shoot of horsetail (sugina).

It’s a classic sign of spring, so many of you may have guessed it right away.

What fruit is good at judo, kendo, and karate?

Let’s try a riddle that hinges on words that sound the same but have different meanings.

Which fruit is good at judo, kendo, and karate? If you take the sentence literally, it seems impossible that a fruit would do judo, kendo, or karate.

The hint is to think about what you call judo, kendo, karate, and similar disciplines collectively.

The answer is “grape” (budō).

It sounds the same as the fruit “grape” (budō), but judo, kendo, and karate are collectively referred to as “martial arts” (budō) in Japanese.

It’s a fun riddle that plays on different meanings of the same sound.

A submarine is carrying a certain fruit. What fruit is it?

Let’s try a riddle where the answer is hidden in the question! A submarine is carrying a certain fruit.

What fruit is it? The key is “submarine” (in Japanese: sensuikan).

If you say it slowly out loud, you might figure it out.

The answer is “watermelon” (suika).

The word “suika” is contained within “sensuikan”! Many people have an aha moment when they say it out loud or write it down, so if you’re stuck on a riddle, give that a try!

A dog won a soba noodle eating contest. What kind of soba do you think it was?

Many people might figure it out right after reading the riddle: A dog wins a soba-eating contest.

What kind of soba was it? The answer is “wanko soba.” We arrive at this because “wanko” is an affectionate way to refer to a dog.

Wanko soba is a soba dish that’s a specialty of Iwate Prefecture, where bite-sized portions of soba are served one after another into your bowl.

The lively calls of “Hai, jan-jan! Hai, don-don!” are charming, too!

What is the “niku” that’s sold at a greengrocer, not a butcher?

Let’s try a riddle that’s fun to solve! What is the “niku” that’s sold at a greengrocer, not at a butcher’s shop? When you hear “niku,” you probably think of pork, beef, or chicken—things sold at a butcher’s.

But in this riddle, the “niku” is something sold at a greengrocer.

Hint: the word “niku” is contained within the name of a vegetable! The answer is “ninniku” (garlic).

It’s definitely a kind of “niku” you’d find at a greengrocer!

A mosquito falls into a pond and transforms into a certain vegetable. What vegetable is it?

Here’s a riddle about mosquitoes that show up when it gets warm.

A mosquito falls into a pond and turns into a certain vegetable.

What vegetable is it? Of course, in reality a mosquito wouldn’t instantly turn into a vegetable just by falling into a pond, but since it’s a riddle, let’s think flexibly to find the answer! The hint is the sound it makes when it falls into the pond.

The correct answer is “pumpkin.” It’s a playful riddle based on the Japanese wordplay: a mosquito (ka) goes “bocha” (splash) into the pond—ka + bocha = kabocha (pumpkin).

Did you arrive at the answer cleanly?

What fruit appears when you ring the bell five times?

Here’s a simple riddle about fruit.

What fruit appears when you ring a bell five times? If you think of a common fruit, you might figure it out.

Hint: Try expressing the sound of a bell as onomatopoeia, and you’ll get closer to the answer! The correct answer is “apple.” The key is the bell going “rin-rin” and the number “five” in Japanese.

Apples are familiar to many people—not only can you eat them as they are, but you can also enjoy them as juice, jam, pie, jelly, and more.