Fun trick riddles you can enjoy in elementary school!
Elementary school children are in a very curious stage.
As they move up through the grades, their ability to understand humor grows rapidly.
They value communication with friends and sometimes think from their own unique perspective.
Here, we introduce trick questions that make the most of those traits and can be enjoyed in elementary school! The questions are simple, but they can draw out surprising answers and original thinking.
There are plenty of quizzes that adults can enjoy too, so kids and adults alike can think together, laugh, and have a great time!
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Fun Trick Riddles You Can Enjoy in Elementary School (11–20)
Five people are playing hide-and-seek. Two have been found. How many are left?
See the answer
2 people
When five people are playing hide-and-seek and two are found, that means three still haven’t been found. But one of those three is the seeker, so only two are actually hiding. The seeker is the one who looks for others, not the one who gets found, so they’re not counted.
What animal is bigger than a whale but smaller than a killifish?
See the answer
dolphin
To say that there’s no animal bigger than a whale and smaller than a killifish, we use a pun: we say “iruka” (which means dolphin) as a play on words with “inai” (there isn’t). The trick is to change the intonation when you say the comeback line, like “Sonna no iruka!” (which can sound like “Is that a dolphin?” or “Who would buy that?” depending on intonation). The correct answer is “iruka” (dolphin).
What are the two things a younger brother has but a younger sister has only one of?
See the answer
The hiragana “to”
The word otōto (younger brother) contains two instances of the syllable “to,” while imōto (younger sister) contains only one. Both are family terms, but in this riddle the key is not their meanings—it’s the letters within the words. If you look closely at the words and consider which characters appear and how many times, you’ll arrive at the answer.
An elevator that can hold ten people broke and fell. Yet no one was injured. Why is that?
See the answer
Because no one was riding (it)/Because nobody was on it.
If an elevator breaks and falls down, normally you’d expect serious injuries, but the key point here is that no one was inside at the time. It says it’s for ten people, but it doesn’t say anyone was riding it. In other words, no one was in the elevator, so no one was injured.
When is honey sweet?
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Honey is sweet and delicious, isn’t it? You can pour it on pancakes, add it to tea instead of sugar—there are countless dishes and products that use honey.
So let’s try a honey-themed trick quiz! When is honey sweet? “In the season when bees fly a lot?” “Does it have something to do with the number eight?” Many people might think that, but the answer is actually very simple! Just think: when do you feel it’s “sweet”? If you approach it that way, the correct answer should come to you easily!
Which was built first, the Great Buddha of Nara or the Great Buddha of Kamakura?
See the answer
Neither of them is standing.
The question asks which came first: the Great Buddha of Nara or the Great Buddha of Kamakura. But since both the actual Great Buddha statues in Nara and Kamakura are displayed in a seated position, the correct answer is “Neither of them is standing.” The key is to read the question carefully and avoid being tricked.
What vehicle do you pedal and pedal but end up going back and forth in the same place?
When you row a boat or pedal a bicycle, you move forward, right? But the answer to this riddle seems to be something that goes back and forth in the same place no matter how much you push.
The key to solving it is to focus on “going back and forth.” If you’re an elementary school student, that phrase might make something click.
Here’s a hint: the park.
Think back to your time playing at the park—there was a fun piece of playground equipment that goes back and forth! That’s right, the answer is a swing.
Did you get it right?
Today is Monday. Tomorrow is Tuesday. What day is the day after tomorrow?
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♬ Slow and comical BGM(1083863) – Blanket
When trying to answer this question, wouldn’t most people say, “You’re supposed to answer Wednesday, but the trick is that the answer is Thursday!”? That’s what common sense suggests, right? In fact, if a small child answered that way, I’d be tempted to mark it correct—they’re being clever.
However, the answer is actually neither Wednesday nor Thursday.
The key to finding the answer is to focus on the word “asatte” in the problem statement.
Look closely: while “today” and “tomorrow” are written in kanji, “asatte” is written in hiragana… What does that imply?
Turn a kitten upside down and it’s still a kitten. What do you get if you turn a puppy upside down?
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Let’s try a quiz about animals.
If you turn a kitten upside down, it’s still a kitten; if you turn a puppy upside down, it becomes… what? You’ll probably think, “Kitten is ‘koneko’… sure, even read backwards it’s still ‘koneko,’” and then tackle the question.
But if you follow that line of thinking, a puppy is ‘koinu,’ which can’t be read the other way around, and you’ll get stuck.
That’s when you should remember it’s a trick question.
That very line of thinking is the trick.
If you simply state the fact as it is, that’s the correct answer.
What gets hotter as it gets colder?
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This puzzle is tricky because there are many possible answers.
Things that get hotter as it gets colder… You might be thinking of hand warmers or clothing, but the correct answer is something else.
First, try picturing a winter scene.
List a few things you associate with it, and think about “getting hot” as the keyword.
Also pay close attention to the fact that it’s written in hiragana! The answer is something everyone knows, and you’re likely to see it at least once in summer.
Here’s a hint: it’s something that melts in heat.