Take on the world’s hardest tongue twisters! A roundup of ultra-tough prompts that’ll tie your tongue
Have you ever tried the “world’s hardest tongue twister”? Even well-known ones like “Tōkyō Tokkyo Kyoka-kyoku” and “Kaeru pyoko-pyoko” are tough enough, but there’s always something harder.
From fiendish Japanese challenges that cleverly use palatalized and geminate sounds to English tongue twisters recognized by Guinness, there are plenty of ultra-difficult lines guaranteed to tie your tongue.
In this article, we introduce the world’s hardest tongue twisters that you’ll want to try again and again.
Give them a go with your family and friends!
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- Perfect for pronunciation practice! A collection of English tongue twisters.
- Get hyped! Tongue twisters that sound cool if you can say them—wordplay that makes you want to take on the challenge
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
- Tongue Twisters So Fun and Cute You’ll Want to Say Them Out Loud!
- Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
- Kenta Otani’s original tongue twisters: a collection that’ll have you tripping over words and bursting into laughter
- Chinese tongue twisters: A collection of rao kou ling helpful for learning Chinese
- Irresistibly tempting to try! Have fun practicing pronunciation with Korean tongue twisters
- Can you say them? A collection of Hakata-dialect tongue twisters
- Nagoya dialect tongue twisters are exquisite! A fun collection where your tongue gets tied in knots with regional dialects
Challenge the world's hardest tongue twisters! A roundup of super-tough prompts that will tie your tongue in knots (1–10)
When a pig hit a pig, the pig that got hit hit back the pig that hit it, so the pig that hit and the pig that got hit both collapsed.
This passage describes a scene where two pigs are fighting.
Because the small pause “っ” creates a tricky contrast between words like 'buta' (pig) and 'butta' (hit), practice while clearly visualizing which pig is doing what as the action keeps moving along.
Also, ‘bu’ is produced by briefly closing the lips before voicing, and when that sound appears repeatedly between other words, it becomes harder to say.
It’s recommended to start practicing slowly, perhaps adding a light rhythm.
I leaned bamboo against the bamboo fence because I wanted to lean bamboo, so I leaned bamboo.
This is a classic tongue-twister phrase that goes on to explain why bamboo was leaned against a bamboo fence.
It gives the impression of declaring the will to do what one wants to do, and it’s also interesting that such free-spirited action is expressed in light, sprightly words.
The key lies first in the interplay of the “t” and “k” sounds in ‘take’ (bamboo), and the difficulty of mouth shape and articulation creates the overall tongue-twisting effect.
It’s recommended to start by consciously shaping your mouth and pronouncing each word slowly and separately, then gradually filling the gaps between words and increasing the overall speed.
A singer came and told me to sing, but I would sing if I could sing like a singer; since I cannot sing like a singer, I will not sing.
@otokowaturaiyo Ballad of the Singer#ShibuyaRanmaru#Fuwatchi#BaldStreamer#Date NoboruRehabilitationDepopulation
♪ Original song – Greed = Date Noboru – Date Noboru
It’s about someone who sings coming over and saying, “Go on, try singing,” but you don’t sing because you can’t sing as well as they can.
Still, the same words keep appearing over and over, and the forms change a little each time, so you just keep tripping over them! But once you can say it, it feels amazing.
Practice a lot and have fun giving it a try! You’ll find yourself getting competitive.
It’s also great to compete with family or friends, or record yourself and listen back.
Even if you can’t say it, it’ll make you laugh—it’s a fun word game.
Try it like a game and see who can say it the best!
The melon seller came to sell melons but had leftovers, and the voice of the melon seller returning, selling as he goes.
The gist is a slightly whimsical, humorous story: a melon seller goes to another melon seller to sell melons, but ends up with leftovers and heads home calling out, “Melons for sale!” The repeated “uri-uri” rhythm is fun to say and makes both kids and adults laugh.
Start slowly, then speed up as you get used to it and give it a try.
It feels like you can say it, but you can’t; like you’ll stumble, but you don’t… It’s also fun to compete with family and friends to see who can say it the best.
Give it a try!
Kiku kiri kiku kiri three kiku kiri, together make six kiku kiri.
The plant names “chrysanthemum” (kiku) and “paulownia” (kiri) appear alternately, and you might get your tongue twisted as you say them over and over! Saying “kiku-kiri” three times makes “three kiku-kiri,” and combining two of those makes “six kiku-kiri”—a playful word game with a fun rhythm.
This tongue twister will captivate not only children but adults too.
Try it with family or friends and see who can say it the best.
As you repeat it, you might get faster and more accurate.
Give this slightly mysterious and amusing tongue twister a try—you’ll laugh, have fun, and pick up the rhythm of Japanese along the way!