J-Word Play: March ’12

犯人に間違われた人はマンションの何階に住んでいる？

(はんにんにまちがわれたひとはマンションのなんかいにすんでいる？)

(SELECT THE AREA BELOW TO SEE THE ANSWER)

Answer: ごかい (the fifth floor)

This riddle asks, “Which floor does the man who was mistaken for a criminal live on?” The answer is another product of some clever word play. 「ごかい」 has multiple meanings in Japanese, one of which is “5th floor” (５階). Another possible meaning is 「誤解」, which means “mistake” or “misunderstanding.”