Fun Brain Teasers for Kids and Adults Alike!
The clever wordplay known as “tonchi,” familiar from the anime Ikkyu-san.
Ikkyu solves problems that look like riddles one after another with quick wit, doesn’t he?
Originally, “tonchi” refers to the ability to use your smarts on the spot to suit the situation.
We’re going to present tonchi quizzes that you solve using that same kind of wit, just like Ikkyu!
The answers are all ones that will make you say, “I see!” without thinking.
They’re easy to enjoy like riddles, so please have fun with them together—from kids to adults!
- [Trick Quiz] Quiz Questions That Excite Everyone from Kids to Adults
- [Battle of Wits] Stimulate your intellectual curiosity! Quiz questions that get adults excited
- Easy Riddles for Elementary School Students
- [Brain Training] Difficult Riddles That Even Adults Struggle With
- Fun quizzes for elementary school kids: a collection of questions everyone can enjoy together
- [For Seniors] Recommended and Exciting! Brain-Teaser Quiz Collection
- Interesting riddles: a collection of simple and fun questions
- A collection of challenging quizzes for adults [Difficult]
- Mental Workout: Casual Challenge! Riddles for Adults
- [Challenging and Fun!] Quizzes & Riddles for Adults
- Do you get tripped up too? A fun roundup of 10-time quiz questions
- Let's get excited with a two-choice quiz that everyone—from kids to adults—can enjoy!
- [Simple Riddles] A curated selection of fun questions that will excite everyone from kids to adults!
Fun Brain Teasers for Kids and Adults Alike! (11–20)
It doesn’t stick to your eyes or ears, but it does stick to your teeth—what is it?
See the answer
Dakuten, handakuten
When you hear “things that stick to teeth,” you might think of foods like aonori seaweed, but the key is to think in terms of characters, not actual teeth. The word for “tooth” (ha) in hiragana can take a dakuten or handakuten to become “ba” or “pa.” However, “eye” (me) and “ear” (mimi), even when written in hiragana, cannot take a dakuten or handakuten.
What is the name of the old man who appears in Urashima Taro?
@igosso.youtube♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]
Speaking of Urashima Taro, it’s known as the story where he rides a turtle to the Dragon Palace, spends what feels like only a short time there, and when he returns, many years have passed in the world he came from and not a single acquaintance remains.
It’s a beautiful yet sorrowful tale, and surely everyone, from children to adults, has read it at least once.
Now, recall the story carefully and try this challenge.
If you’re thinking, “Did Urashima Taro have a grandfather?” you won’t reach the right answer.
The hint is to remember what happened to Urashima Taro when he opened the tamatebako (jeweled box)!
Turn a kitten upside down and it’s still a kitten. What do you get if you turn a puppy upside down?
@igosso.youtube♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]
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?
@igosso.youtube You're a genius if you get it!TranslationTrick quizIgossou
♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]
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.
Among kindergarteners, elementary school students, and adults, which is the biggest?
See the answer
kindergarten
A kindergarten isn’t a person; it’s the name of a building. Elementary school students and adults are people, but a kindergarten is a large building that many people can enter. So if you compare sizes, the kindergarten is the biggest. The key to this riddle is noticing the meanings of the words.
What kind of bird plays by getting tangled in string?
If a bird gets tangled in a string, you’d think it wouldn’t be able to spread its wings and fly, right? That would be true for an ordinary bird.
But there’s a bird that can still “fly” even when it’s tangled in string.
It’s not a bird soaring in the sky, but one that changes into various shapes in your hands.
To find the answer, try thinking of words that include “tori” (bird).
What words come to mind? Here’s a hint: it’s a game played with string.
Have you figured it out? The answer is ayatori (cat’s cradle).
Fun Brain Teasers (21–30) for Kids and Adults Alike!
5 riddles and brain teasers
There are moments in everyday life when wordplay just comes together, right? Like when you’re putting up posters in the classroom and someone says, “Too high, too high, lower,” and that makes you think of a pun like ‘Uesugi Kenshin’ (since ‘too high’ sounds like ‘Uesugi’).
Puns kind of feel similar to riddle-like brain teasers, don’t they? Here’s one: “It’s usually loud, but if you add one letter, it becomes quiet.
What is it?” The answer is ‘siren.’ Add a ‘t’ to the end and it becomes ‘silent,’ right? That rush you get when you solve a clever riddle is unbeatable!