How many can you read? Test your trivia skills with a brain-twisting ateji quiz!

towel

The correct answer is “towel.” In the early Meiji period, foreign-made towels from countries like Britain were imported into Japan. At the time, they were very soft and warm fabrics, and because they were still expensive, they were sometimes used as scarves or cloths wrapped around the neck. Later, towel manufacturing techniques spread within Japan, and today towels are widely used as everyday items for drying hands and bodies.

tablecloth

A tablecloth is the cloth that you drape over a dining table, right? That’s why this phonetic rendering is used. It’s mainly used during meals, and it not only protects the table from stains and scratches but also serves to decorate the dining area. Fabrics vary—cotton, linen, and synthetics among others—and there’s a wide range, from patterned designs for everyday use to formal white linen. In Europe, it has been used as a luxury fabric since the Middle Ages and became widespread for formal dining.

ocarina

Around 1853 in the 19th century, in the Italian town of Budrio, a young person made a clay flute capable of producing a musical scale and named it the “ocarina.” The word ocarina comes from Italian and means “little goose.” Although ancient clay flutes existed in many parts of the world, this particular form of instrument began to spread from that time. In Japan, it was introduced in the 20th century, and the improved instrument became widely known.

koala

Another name used in Japan to refer to koalas. Koalas are marsupials that live in Australia, spend their lives in trees, and raise their young in a pouch; because they are often seen piggybacking or cradling their babies, the word “komori” (childcare/nanny) was applied to them. Since they look like round, cute bears, the character for “bear” (熊) is also used in Japan.

Genghis Khan (also refers to a Japanese grilled mutton dish called 'Jingisukan')

It’s a name inspired by the famous Mongolian hero Genghis Khan. It’s believed that a man from Hokkaido named Tokuzo Komai gave this name to a Japanese lamb dish. According to a story written by Komai’s daughter, he used Genghis Khan’s name to give the lamb dish a strong, powerful image. The dish itself isn’t Mongolian cuisine; it’s a way of grilling lamb that became popular in Japan and is beloved as a specialty of Hokkaido.

bread

Bread was introduced to Japan from abroad and is said to have arrived together with firearms when the Portuguese came to Tanegashima in the 16th century. At that time bread was rare and did not become widespread among the general public, but by the late Edo period there are records that Egawa Tarōzaemon baked bread as a portable ration for soldiers. In the Meiji era, with the push for modernization, bread culture drew attention again, and especially the anpan made by Kimuraya Sohonten in Ginza became a big hit and spread widely.