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Japanophile Trivia Quiz

Test your knowledge of Japan with this fun hodgepodge of trivia questions about the language, the country and the people.

A multiple-choice quiz by vadiamond. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
vadiamond

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
225,932

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1168

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. If an American, who has just relocated to Japan, is told that s/he is going to live in a "manshon," what type of dwelling can s/he expect to be moving into? Hint

A large, elegant house

Any type of single family dwelling

A hotel

An upscale apartment

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Question 2 of 10

2. All of the following words or phrases, except for one, have the same approximate meaning: to tell someone to be quiet. Which is the odd one out? Hint

Furusato

Damare

Shizuka ni shinasai

Urusai

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Question 3 of 10

3. What is the name of the indigenous people of Japan? Hint

Native Japanese

Ainu

Sakhalin

Kansei

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Question 4 of 10

4. In "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- a novel by Arthur Golden which vividly recounts the life of a renowned early 1900s geisha -- what is the main character's name? Hint

Minari

Mameha

Sayuri

Sakura

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Question 5 of 10

5. Let's imagine that a man, who wears a size 10 shoe in the US, needs to buy shoes in Japan. What size would he need to look for? Hint

size 5

size 280

size 9 1/2

size 28

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is the Japanese word for bread? Hint

oyuu

bure

pan

keeki

7. The English name for the legislative branch of the People's Republic of China is the "National People's Congress," while in Great Britain, for instance, it is called the "Parliament of the United Kingdom". What is the English name for Japan's legislative branch? Hint

The Japan Congress

The Parliament of Japan

The Japanese National Assembly

The National Diet of Japan

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Question 8 of 10

8. The Japanese language has many compound words with interesting literal translations. For example, what is the literal translation of "mendokusai", which means "troublesome"? Hint

happy burden

heavy inconvenience

stinks of trouble

eyes that dance trouble

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Question 9 of 10

9. Japanese citizens cannot legally smoke, drink alcohol, drive a car, or vote until they reach the age of 20. True or false?

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which place in the world has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan? Hint

Australia

Hawaii

Brazil

San Francisco

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. If an American, who has just relocated to Japan, is told that s/he is going to live in a "manshon," what type of dwelling can s/he expect to be moving into?

Answer: An upscale apartment

In American English, "mansion" means a large and stately house which only the rich can afford, but the Japanese loanword "manshon" has a different connotation. With Japan's high population density, all housing there is expensive, including a "manshon" -- which is an elegant APARTMENT building.

2. All of the following words or phrases, except for one, have the same approximate meaning: to tell someone to be quiet. Which is the odd one out?

Answer: Furusato

"Shizuka ni shinasai" is a relatively polite way to ask someone to be quiet. "Damare" basically means "to shut up." If you say "urusai" to someone, you are telling them that they are being noisy and annoying. "Furusato," on the other hand, means "a hometown."

3. What is the name of the indigenous people of Japan?

Answer: Ainu

While it was long believed that the Ainu were of Caucasian descent, recent studies have shown that the Ainu are, in fact, a Mongoloid race. The few surviving Ainu live on the northernmost island of Hokkaido and on some smaller islands that lie between Japan and Russia.

4. In "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- a novel by Arthur Golden which vividly recounts the life of a renowned early 1900s geisha -- what is the main character's name?

Answer: Sayuri

"Sayuri" means "lily" in Japanese. Set mainly in pre-WWII Japan, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a fascinating read for everyone interested in Japanese culture. Incidentally, the first person voice of Sayuri in the novel is so compelling that many readers have wondered if she was actually a real person.

While Arthur Golden apparently did interview two retired geishas for his novel, the main character "Sayuri" never existed.

5. Let's imagine that a man, who wears a size 10 shoe in the US, needs to buy shoes in Japan. What size would he need to look for?

Answer: size 28

In the US, the shoe size is measured in inches; in Japan, it is measured in centimeters. Incidentally, if the same person wanted to buy shoes in South Korea, he would be looking for a size 280 (millimeters).

6. What is the Japanese word for bread?

Answer: pan

When Portuguese Jesuit priests introduced bread to Japan in the 15-16th century, the Portuguese word for bread - "pan" - was adopted into the Japanese language.

Answer: The National Diet of Japan

The National Diet of Japan consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.

8. The Japanese language has many compound words with interesting literal translations. For example, what is the literal translation of "mendokusai", which means "troublesome"?

Answer: stinks of trouble

Directly translated, "mendo" means "trouble", and "kusai" means "stinking" or "ill-smelling", which combine to form the word "troublesome", or "stinks of trouble".

9. Japanese citizens cannot legally smoke, drink alcohol, drive a car, or vote until they reach the age of 20. True or false?

Answer: False

Japan's minimum driving age is 18. All the other statements are true.

10. Which place in the world has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?

Answer: Brazil

In the early 1900s, many Japanese farmers escaped harsh economic conditions to work in Brazil's expanding coffee plantation industry, with another large wave of immigrants arriving shortly after World War II. There are now about 1.5 million Japanese-Brazilians living in Brazil.

Source: Author vadiamond

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Beatka before going online.
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