Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
Tongue twisters used for play and articulation practice.
Whether you’re just having fun or trying to improve your diction, you might as well enjoy it! In this article, we’ll introduce tongue twisters that make wordplay fun and interesting.
We’ve gathered tongue twisters that let you feel the charm of language—some with delightful word sequences that make you want to say them out loud, and others that are amusing even if you don’t quite understand the meaning.
They can also be used for children’s play or oral exercises for older adults, so please use them as a reference!
- Challenging tongue twisters: Introducing high-difficulty phrases and sentences!
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- Witty quotes that make you chuckle without thinking
- “Chau chau, anta” — a Kansai-dialect tongue twister. A phrase only Kansai folks can say.
- Can you say them? A collection of Nagoya-dialect tongue twisters
- Can you say them? A collection of Hakata-dialect tongue twisters
- [For Seniors] Boost Oral Function with Tongue Twisters! Recommended Picks to Try
- The magical power of words that make people laugh! A collection of quotes that lighten the heart
- Challenge together! A roundup of word games for adults
- [Trick Quiz] Quiz Questions That Excite Everyone from Kids to Adults
- [Rec] Interesting! A roundup of wordplay games
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
Long Text & Continuous Challenge Tongue Twisters (1–10)
Say: “Apologize to Aya and Aya, apologize to Aya and your parents.”
A tongue twister in dialogue style: “Apologize to Aya, and tell her to apologize to her parents.” There are several versions of this tongue twister, such as “Apologize to Aya, and tell her to apologize to the greengrocer,” or “Tell the greengrocer that Aya is going to the bathhouse with her parents.” All versions rhyme on ‘Aya’ (o-aya) and make the sentences complex in a similar way.
Even without small kana or voiced sounds, it’s still difficult—a rare type of tongue twister.
Give it a try!
100 passenger aircraft, 100 passengers each
A tongue twister that’s hard even when spoken slowly: “100 passenger planes, 100 passengers each.” Let’s first go over the reading step by step.
"旅客機" is read as "ryokakuki," and the part "客各100人" is read as "kaku-kyaku hyaku-nin." In other words, each of the 100 airplanes has 100 passengers on board.
If you insert a slight pause after “kaku,” you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Incidentally, there’s an even harder version: “In Massachusetts, 100 passenger planes, with 100 persimmon-eating passengers each, are riding a gas-spraying bus and the bus gas explodes.” If you want to raise the difficulty, give that one a try too.
Snowplow in operation
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).
Batter Runner Winner Bases-clearing
A tongue twister that, when heard, might leave you unsure what’s being said: “Batter, runner, winner, runner, bases cleared.” Seeing it written out, you can kind of picture the situation.
It’s probably during a baseball game, where runners are getting put out one after another.
Try practicing while imagining that scene.
The section in the middle—“runner, winner, runner,” with the repeating ‘sha’ and ‘sho’ sounds—will likely be the toughest part.
Start by pronouncing it slowly.
Pencils and sharpened points
There’s a tongue twister that uses expressions unique to the Nagoya dialect.
It goes: “Kondon toki wa tokin-tokin no enpitsu motte kan to kan.
Teka chanto kezutto kan to kan tte itto kan to kan.” The first thing that catches your attention is “tokin-tokin,” right? This word describes a pencil tip that’s sharpened to a fine point.
In the tongue twister, it’s basically saying, “Next time, I have to bring a pencil.
Or rather, I really need to make sure it’s properly sharpened, and I should say so too.” Because it includes unfamiliar dialect words, you could say the difficulty level is on the higher side.
You keep calling me “anta, anta,” but I don’t go around calling you “anta, anta,” so don’t call me “anta, anta,” okay? Anta.
This tongue twister uses Kansai dialect that’s unique to the Kansai region.
It might be easy for people from Kansai, but for those from other regions, including the intonation, it could be a bit challenging.
That said, it’s definitely one I’d love people from other areas who admire Kansai-ben to try.
This might even inspire some to try tongue twisters in other dialects.
Being able to speak local dialects when you travel could make your trip even more fun.
I’m Bob, I’m Bob, I’m Bob
It’s a simple line where a person named Bob just states his name, and the brisk pace up to the final word is what makes it funny.
Although the phrase is made up of the shared vowel sounds “o” and “u,” the presence or absence of the voiced consonants in “ku” and “bu” creates a tongue-twister effect.
For voiced sounds, how you move your lips is crucial, and it’s important to pay close attention to how you place them against your teeth as well.
First, clearly pronounce each sound—including the shape of your mouth—and then gradually increase your speed while staying mindful of the transitions.
That’s the recommended approach.
