Japanese wordplay

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Japanese wordplay" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Japanese wordplay relies on the nuances of the Japanese language and Japanese script for humorous effect, functioning somewhat like a cross between a pun and a spoonerism. Double entendres have a rich history in Japanese entertainment (such as in kakekotoba)^[1] due to the language's large number of homographs (different meanings for a given spelling) and homophones (different meanings for a given pronunciation).