J-Word Play: February ’12

ここより下にいる生き物ってなんでしょう？

ここよりしたにいるいきものってなんでしょう？

(SELECT THE AREA BELOW TO SEE THE ANSWER)

Answer: 以下 (いか; squid)

The riddle asks, “What creature is below here?” Not a lot to go on, I know, but if you focused on the idea of “below” (下), you may have thought about that kanji’s 「か」reading, which may then have lead you to think of いか. This is a play on words, as 「以下」 (いか; down, below, or under) has the same reading as the word for “squid.” Mmmm.