[Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors

Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!
Worked as a certified care worker for 17 years.Nanaka
I’ve been working as a certified care worker for 17 years. I’m Nanaka, a caregiving web writer. I decided to pursue this profession because I wanted a job that would help people. Having worked in day care for many years, I’ve experienced a wide variety of recreational activities. Exercise set to music, in particular, always created a cheerful atmosphere and was very well received. I’d be delighted to continue delivering writing that resonates with readers through caregiving-related articles. Thank you for your support.

Word quizzes are a type of recreation that really livens up day services and senior facilities.

Brain training can seem difficult, but these are easy for anyone to enjoy.

In this article, we’ve gathered word-related quiz questions recommended for older adults.

We introduce many ideas, including quizzes you can do while watching videos and ones you can customize, so we hope you find them helpful.

Try adding word quizzes to your daily recreation and give brain training a go!

[Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors (41–50)

A riddle: What do cars and nurses have in common? The heart of it is that both need skill in parking (injection).

It’s a riddle that asks you to find a common point between a car, which is a vehicle, and a nurse, which is a profession.

At first glance, they seem unrelated—one is an object and the other a person—but if you think about what’s important when handling each and what the job entails, you’ll notice the answer.

When you drive a car, it’s not just about moving; parking skills are also crucial.

For nurses, in addition to watching over patients, precise injection skills are essential.

The shared keyword that emerges is “chuusha,” which means both ‘parking’ (駐車) for cars and ‘injection’ (注射) for nurses—highlighting that skill in ‘chuusha’ is important in both cases.

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kappamaki

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[Brain Training] Lively Word Quizzes for Seniors (51–60)

This kid had a hard time writing katakana, didn’t they? I wonder if they didn’t cry?

“Kono ko nakanaka katakana kakenakatta na, nakakanakatta kana?” is quite a long tongue twister.

Are they worried that the child who couldn’t write katakana didn’t end up crying? Words with similar sounds like nakanaka and katakana run together almost like a reverse reading.

Plus, the repeated ka sounds create a string of identical syllables, which adds to the difficulty of reading.

Tongue twisters can make you rush, but the key is to stay calm and read through without hurrying.

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Nakajima Junko

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A riddle: What do scissors and a frugal person have in common? The answer: both go ‘chokin’—the scissors go snip-snip (chokin), and the frugal person saves money (chokin/cho-kin).

This is a riddle that asks you to think of commonalities between the tool “scissors” and the trait of being “thrifty,” as well as related words.

By clearly picturing the situations where each is used and the onomatopoeic sounds produced by those actions, you can get closer to the answer.

Since there are many ways to save money, the scope is broad, so it may be easier to start from scissors to derive the answer.

When using scissors to cut something, they make the sound chokin.

By being frugal and reducing the amount of money you spend, you can save up—chokin also means “savings” in Japanese.

In other words, the riddle highlights the shared word/sound chokin as the common thread.

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kappamaki

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Like comparing a paper lantern to [ ].

When it comes to proverbs that use lanterns, which soothe the heart with their soft, hazy glow, there’s “a lantern and a temple bell.” It’s a saying that describes things that are out of balance or not comparable.

Both lanterns and temple bells are hung, but a lantern made of paper, cloth, and bamboo is no match in weight for a bronze temple bell—hence the proverb.

In the past, it was used to refer to an ill-matched arranged marriage due to differences in social status, or as a pun meaning unrequited love, since one side is “heavier.” Nowadays, you might hear the similar-expression “like the moon and a soft-shelled turtle” more often.

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yuri