J-Word Play: April ’12

タバコをやめると何円？

(タバコをやめるとなにえん?)

(SELECT THE AREA BELOW TO SEE THE ANSWER)

Answer: きんえん (no smoking)

This one may not translate into English so well, but it’s a great pun in Japanese. The question asks “How many yen does it cost to quit smoking?” Much like so many other riddles, to arrive at the correct answer you have to think outside the box. Another way to think of this question could be “What en do you get when you quit smoking?” The answer in that case would be 禁煙 (きんえん), the word most commonly use for non-smoking, which you may have heard or used yourself at restaurants.