is a kind of comic Japanese

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...

, similar in spirit to a

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

that relies on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple

joke A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

. ''Dajare'' are popular in advertising. ''Dajare'' are also associated with , ''oyaji'' meaning "old man", as an "old man" would be considered by the younger generation most likely to attempt ''dajare'', making them a near equivalent of what would be called "

dad joke A dad joke is a joke, typically a pun, often presented as a one-liner or a question and answer. Generally inoffensive, dad jokes are told with sincere humorous intent or to intentionally provoke a negative "groaning" reaction to their overly simp ...

s" in English.

Examples

With one speaker

Example one: * アルミ缶の上にある蜜柑 (''arumi kan no ue ni aru mikan'') : Translation: : An orange on an aluminum can. : Explanation: : アルミ (''arumi'') means "aluminum" and 缶 (''kan'') means "can"; ある (aru) means "to exist" and 蜜柑 (''

mikan ''Citrus unshiu'' is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as the satsuma mandarin or Japanese mandarin. During the Edo period of Japan, kishu mikans were more popular because there was a popular superstition that eating '' ...

'') refers to mandarin varieties popular in Japan. Example two: * ウランは売らん (''uran wa uran'') : Translation: : I don't sell uranium. : Explanation: : ウラン (''uran'') means uranium, and the second 売らん (''uran'') = uranai (negative form of uru (to sell)) means "not sell". Example three: * ニューヨークで入浴 (''nyūyōku de nyūyoku'') : Translation: : Taking a bath in New York. : Explanation: : ニューヨーク (''nyūyōku'') means

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 入浴 (''nyūyoku'') means taking a bath. Example four: * レモンの入れもん (''remon no iremon'') : Translation: : A container for a lemon : Explanation: : レモン (''remon'') means "a lemon", 入れもん (''iremon'') = iremono means "a container". Example five: * 布団が吹っ飛んだ (''futon ga futtonda'') : Translation: : Futon was blown away. : Explanation: : 布団 (''

futon A is a traditional Japanese style of bedding. A complete futon set consists of a and a . Both elements of a futon bedding set are pliable enough to be folded and stored away in a large during the day. This allows a room to serve as a bedro ...

'') means "Japanese style mattress", 吹っ飛んだ (''futtonda'') means "to have been blown away".

With two speakers

Example one: : A: 大食いのたけし君も、宇宙ではあまり物を食べられないよ。 (''ōgui no takeshi kun mo, uchū dewa amari mono o taberarenaiyo'') : B: なぜ? (''naze'') : A: 宇宙には空気(食う気)がない。 (''uchū niwa kūki ga nai'') : Translation: : A: In space, even a glutton like Takeshi can't eat anything. : B: Why's that? : A: In space, there is no air. : Explanation: : ''Kūki'' (くうき) can mean either "air" (空気) or "appetite" (食う気), thus the last phrase could be interpreted as "in space, (he has) no appetite". Example two:
: A: 向こうの通りにヘイができたんだってね。(''mukou no tōri ni hei ga dekitan datte ne'') : B: へぇー。(''hee...'') : Translation: : A: I hear they finished the wall on the street over there. : B: Well! : Explanation: : The word for "fence" or "wall" here (塀, ''hei'') sounds very similar to the Japanese

interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling, situation or reaction. It is a diverse category, with many different types, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curses (''da ...

''hee'' (へえ, similar in usage to the phrases "oh yeah?" and "well!"), thus the answer sounds like a repeat of the information in the initial statement. : Another version of this same joke replaces ''hei'' with ''kakoi'' (囲い), which sounds similar to a word meaning something like "cool" or "looks good" (かっこいい).

Children's ''dajare'' (with one speaker)

There are also some jokes mostly used by children that resemble ''dajare''. These are also considered jokes that "everybody knows" in most parts of Japan. These are examples of ''ginatayomi'' (ぎなた読み), involving ambiguity in where one word ends and another begins, like

garden-path sentence A garden-path sentence is a grammatically correct sentence that starts in such a way that a reader's most likely interpretation will be incorrect; the reader is lured into a parse that turns out to be a dead end or yields a clearly unintended mea ...

s in English. Example one:
:「パン作ったことある」(''pan tsukutta koto aru''; Have you ever made bread before?) :　Can also be interpreted as: :「パンツ食ったことある」(''pantsu kutta koto aru''; Have you ever eaten underpants before?) Example two:
:「ねぇ、ちゃんとお風呂入ってる」(''nee, chanto ofuro haitteru''; Hey, have you been bathing regularly?) :　Can also be interpreted as: :「姉ちゃんとお風呂入ってる」(''nee-chan to ofuro haitteru''; Do you take baths with your older sister?)

External links

Discussion of some ''dajare'' seen in advertising promotions in JapanDajare Station - Portal Site of Japanese Dajare
{{in lang, ja Japanese word games Humour ja:駄洒落

Examples

With one speaker

With two speakers

Children's ''dajare'' (with one speaker)

See also

External links