Challenging tongue twisters: Introducing high-difficulty phrases and sentences!
Tongue twisters exist in every country.
I think everyone in Japan has been familiar with them since childhood.
This time, I’ve picked out only the especially difficult tongue twisters.
You’ll find not only long, complicated ones, but also very short tongue twisters that are surprisingly hard to say.
Although tongue twisters might seem like they’re just for kids, adults can enjoy them too at parties or drinking gatherings.
If you practice in advance, you might even become the center of attention in those situations.
Now then, please sit back and enjoy!
- Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
- Nagoya dialect tongue twisters are exquisite! A fun collection where your tongue gets tied in knots with regional dialects
- Can you say them? A collection of Hakata-dialect tongue twisters
- Challenge together! A roundup of word games for adults
- “Chau chau, anta” — a Kansai-dialect tongue twister. A phrase only Kansai folks can say.
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- [Challenging and Fun!] Quizzes & Riddles for Adults
- Chinese tongue twisters: A collection of rao kou ling helpful for learning Chinese
- Perfect for pronunciation practice! A collection of English tongue twisters.
- [Trick Quiz] Quiz Questions That Excite Everyone from Kids to Adults
- Get Caught? Or Not!? Simple Ways to Kill Time During Class
Difficult Tongue Twisters: Introducing High-Difficulty Phrases and Sentences! (31–40)
Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce Patent Bureau, Bank of Japan Treasury Bureau, Monopoly Patent Authorization Bureau, Tokyo Patent Authorization BureauNEW!
It’s a classic tongue twister that’s long and easy to trip over.
Because a string of names of government offices and bureaus with long titles comes one after another, you can’t help but lose the rhythm and laugh when you say it out loud.
Both kids and adults can enjoy taking on the challenge while getting into the rhythm.
Words with similar sounds like “tokkyo” (patent), “kyoka” (permission), and “kyoku” (bureau) appear repeatedly, so each repetition naturally trains your mouth movements and sense of rhythm.
Every time you read it, the tempo and timing change, letting you enjoy both the fun of speaking out and a good laugh—there’s plenty of challenge to it, isn’t there?
The Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and PUFFY next door are the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and PUFFY who often eat parfaits.NEW!
It’s a humorous tongue twister where the rhythm of the names intertwines perfectly with the phrase “eating parfait.” Because the long, easy-to-repeat names “Kyary Pamyu Pamyu” and “PUFFY” come one after another, your tongue quickly gets tied when you say it aloud, which makes everyone laugh.
Another highlight is that children can enjoy imagining the scene of eating parfaits and the playful sounds.
If you read it while picturing a little story—like “eating parfaits together next door”—it adds a playful touch beyond simple pronunciation practice.
The more you repeat it, the more your sense of rhythm and pronunciation improve, so be sure to say it out loud and have fun!
osteoporosis, lawsuit, winning the caseNEW!
Because similar sounds like “soshōshō,” “soshō,” and “shōso” pile up, your tongue naturally twists when you say it aloud, which sparks laughter.
Even if children don’t understand the meanings, they can enjoy playing along with the rhythm, and adults can use it as a fun tongue and mouth exercise or for pronunciation practice.
Combining medical and legal terms lends it a slightly uncanny ring, giving it a humorous feel just by reading it.
With repetition, the rhythm and pacing shift, letting you enjoy both the pleasure of voicing it and the challenge it presents—a delightfully fun tongue twister.
elevated bridge pierNEW!
This is a tongue twister that uses words evoking the pillars that support an overpass.
Because similar or identical sounds like “kōkakyō” and “kyōkyaku” repeat in succession, your mouth gets tangled when you say it aloud, making you laugh without meaning to.
Children can take it on playfully, imagining peeking under the bridge or picturing turtles and little birds walking along the elevated bridge.
If you read it while picturing “a row of bridge piers of an overpass lined up in succession,” it feels more narrative than just a string of repeated words.
The more you repeat it, the more your sense of rhythm and mouth movements are trained, letting you enjoy both the fun of speaking out and the spirit of challenge each time you read—so try incorporating it into recreational activities.
During magic, martial arts pain, surgery 2NEW!
Because the same “-jutsu” sound repeats, it’s amusing to say aloud—it makes your mouth feel like it’s spinning.
Both kids and adults can enjoy trying it together to the rhythm.
If you picture things like “the strangeness of magic,” “the pain of martial arts,” and “the tension of surgery” as you read, it can feel a bit like a mini story, and might even make you chuckle.
With repetition, the rhythm and pace of your voice change, letting you enjoy the fun of speaking and laughing at the same time—this tongue twister is addictive after just one read.
The shoulder massager I bought was expensive.
Are there any tongue twisters this short that are still quite difficult? The random alternation of K and T sounds makes it hard to say, and you can’t just power through on momentum.
In the second half, “takakatta” often turns into “katakatta,” right? Also, “katatakiki” (shoulder-massager) itself is really hard to pronounce, so there are other tongue-twister variations that include it.
“Atatakaki katatakiki” is one example, but it’s so short and still so hard to say—so frustrating! Please give it a try and practice, everyone.
Infirmity Prevention Hospital, Preventive Ward, Infirmity Prevention Act
Each language has its own distinctive patterns.
In Japanese, it’s rare for “bo” to be used repeatedly within a single phrase, and it’s said that Japanese speakers find that kind of sound challenging.
This tongue twister—“Yoboyobo disease prevention hospital, prevention ward, yoboyobo disease prevention method”—is a true Japanese-speaker killer that targets just that weakness.
The repeated combo of “bo” and “yo” can send your lips into a panic, but if you pronounce “bo” like a bass drum in beatboxing, it becomes somewhat easier to say, so give it a try.
Runaway conductor, cleaning the train window
It’s not just tongue twisters—there are words that are hard to say in everyday speech too.
The word “shashō” (train conductor) is a prime example.
Here’s a high-difficulty tongue twister that uses it: “Bōsō shashō, shasō seisō-chū” (“A rampaging conductor, cleaning the train window”).
The “shasō” (train window) that follows “shashō” is devilishly tricky, and then “seisō” (cleaning) piles on the challenge.
It’s short, but extremely difficult, so if you’re confident in your articulation, give it a try.
export car export hot water export vinegar
Because Japanese uses clearly articulated consonants, clusters like “shu” and “pyo” aren’t culturally common to say.
This tongue twister—“Yushutsusha yushutsu yu yushutsu su” (Export car, export hot water, export vinegar)—focuses on the “shu” sound.
Many of the tongue twisters I’m introducing this time are quite long, but despite its brevity, this one is fiendishly difficult.
The combination of “shu” and “tsu” seems to be easy for French and German speakers, so if you have international student friends, why not try tackling it together?
Armor and tack, armor and tack, bugu-bagu bugu-bagu; three armor-and-tack, mibugu-bagu; together armor and tack, bugu-bagu; six armor-and-tack.
Some tongue twisters are short.
A famous example is “bgu-bagu” (bugu bagu, meaning armor and tack).
Saying just “bgu-bagu” on its own is easy, but when you repeat it, your lips get all tangled—one of those lip-twister types.
That alone is hard enough, but here’s an even tougher version: “Bugu bagu bugu bagu bugu bagu bugu bagu, san bugu bagu mi bugu bagu, awasete bugu bagu bugu bagu, roku bugu bagu.” It follows the same pattern as the “Kaeru pyokopyoko” frog tongue twister, but your lips will be in total chaos! It’s easier if, like beatboxing, you pronounce the ba and bo using your lips and breath rather than your vocal cords—give it a try!