[For Seniors] Lively Wordplay Game: Fun Recreation for Elderly Care

Tokyo Patent Approval Bureau

“Tokyo Patent Approval Bureau” is a classic tongue twister.

Some older adults may have heard it or even tried the tongue twister at least once.

However, the Tokyo Patent Approval Bureau doesn’t actually exist.

It never existed in the past either; what does exist is the Japan Patent Office in Chiyoda City, Tokyo.

So where did the TV announcer tongue twister “Tokyo Patent Approval Bureau” come from? As it turns out, it’s said to have been created for use in recruitment exams.

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Nakajima Junko

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Red pajamas, blue pajamas, yellow pajamas.

Arranging red, blue, and yellow at the start of words is also a classic pattern in tongue twisters.

“Aka” (red) and “ao” (blue) are sounds that require opening the mouth wide, so if you attach them to phrases with fine movements, the difficulty of the tongue twister increases.

Sounds like “pa” and “ma” are hard to pronounce without first closing the lips, so be mindful of that.

By carefully pronouncing each sound one by one at first, you’ll understand how to move your lips.

If you move your mouth deliberately and gradually increase your speed, your mouth movements will become smoother and you’ll likely strengthen those muscles as well.

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kappamaki

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The customer next door is a customer who often eats persimmons.

It’s one of the classic tongue twisters in Japan, and it evokes a rakugo-like world.

The key here is probably the pronunciation of “kyaku” and “kaki.” If you try pronouncing it syllable by syllable, you’ll realize that not only the movements of the lips and tongue matter, but the opening and closing of the teeth as well.

Another point to focus on is how you use your breath while moving your lips and teeth during pronunciation.

Overall, it’s a phrase that really engages the muscles around the mouth, making it a perfect tongue twister for training.

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kappamaki

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Snowplow in operation

[Tongue Twister Navi] Snowplow Snow Removal in Progress | Japanese Tongue Twisters | Hayakuchi Kotoba

A tongue twister based on a scene often seen in snowy regions: “Snowplow snow removal in progress.” The tricky part of this tongue twister is that the word for “snow removal” appears twice, which makes it easy to lose track of where you are as you repeat it.

It also features several pronunciation challenges: the “jo” sound occurs twice, and the “sha” and “gyo” sounds each occur once.

Try practicing with those four points in mind.

If you master this tongue twister, you might just get better at pronouncing the small kana sounds (ゃ, ゅ, ょ).

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yamamoto

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The plum that Mr. Umeda from Ome planted turned into delicious umeboshi.

This is a tongue twister that tells a plum-themed story, notable for its repeated use of the word “ume.” Push your lips forward when pronouncing the “u” sound, and be mindful of the contrast with the following sounds to move your mouth fully.

Another key point is that “ue” is mixed in with “ume,” which makes the overall phrase trickier to say due to its accent pattern.

If you pay attention to your lip movements and clearly visualize the story, it should become easier to pronounce.

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kappamaki

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