Kanji Playing Cards

Number of Players

1+

Components

54 cards each (six sheets of paper)

Good For

Remembering beginner Kanji (N5)

Tags

Card Game, Japanese, Kanji, Reading

Kanji Playing Cards are a downloadable series of 54 card decks, each containing 27 beginner level Kanji and 27 matching readings in Hiragana.

They’re great for getting familiar with Kanji, especially when playing matching games like memory/concentration, old maid, go fish etc. Since they have traditional playing card symbols, they can be used in all sorts of other games as well. Once you’re familiar with one deck you can move on to the next!

A total of 108 Kanji are spread across four decks: Red, Blue, Green, and Purple.

Download/Purchase Links

How to Play 遊び方

Since these are traditional playing cards, you can play any kind of classic card games with them. You don’t have to know Kanji and can passively study them that way. However the main purpose is to match Kanji and Hiragana cards together which is why the cards were designed in pairs.

Recommended: Matching Type Games

There are all sorts of matching games you can play, but the most popular and recommended ones are Memory / Concentration, Old Maid, or Go Fish. I have some basic instructions down below.

Which cards match?

In the download folder there’s also a reference guide for which pairs match. If you ever forget, ♠️ Spades always match with ♥️ Hearts, and ♣️ Clovers always match with ♦️ Diamonds.

So 5♠️月 matches with 5♥️つき, and 8♣️口 matches with 8♦️くち etc.

Game Instructions

Kanji Babanuki (Old Maid) 漢字ババ抜き

3+ players

  1. Get the deck of cards ready. Make sure you include only 1 of the JOKER cards (in this game considered the Old Maid, or in Japanese, “Baba”). You can take out either the Kanji version or the Hiragana version. (For the red deck it’s 犬 or いぬ respectively).
  2. Shuffle all the cards, and deal all of them facedown to all players
  3. All players look at their cards. If they have any matching pairs, they discard them. If you are still learning Kanji this is a great opportunity to double check with others what their pairs are and if yours are correct as well.
  4. After all pairs are discarded, the game proceeds from here. Everybody holds their cards out without revealing them. Decide the first player. They will draw a card from the player on their left.
  5. If the card they get forms a pair, they discard the pair.
  6. Either way, play proceeds clockwise, each player drawing a card and hoping to get a pair while avoiding the “Baba”.
  7. When a player has no cards, they’re safe and are out of the game. The last player remaining who ends up with the “Baba” card loses the game.

1+ players

  1. Get the full deck of cards ready (including JOKERS).
  2. Lay out the entire deck of cards face down randomly on a table or other surface.
  3. Take turns (or keep repeating if practicing by yourself) flipping cards trying to get pairs. A player who manages to find a pair can get an extra turn and gets to go again until they fail.
  4. If studying or practicing Kanji, this is a great moment to confirm if you’re correct.
  5. After all cards have been taken, players compare the number of cards they collected. The player with the most cards wins.

2-6 players

  1. Get the deck of cards ready.
  2. Shuffle all the cards and deal 5 cards to each player (if you have 4 or more players) or 7 cards (if you have 2-3 players). 
  3. Place the rest of the deck facedown in the center. This is the “ocean” (海 – umi) or draw pile. 
  4. All players look at their cards. If they have any matching pairs (a kanji and its corresponding hiragana), they discard them face-up in front of them. This is a perfect time to practice! Read the kanji and the hiragana aloud as you lay your pairs down. 
  5. Decide the first player. On your turn, you must ask one specific player for one specific card. To ask for a card, you must already be holding its match in your hand. For example, if you have the kanji card ‘犬’, you can ask another player, “Do you have ‘いぬ’?” (or vice-versa).
  6. If the player has the card: They must give it to you. You then discard the pair face-up in your “collected” pile. You get an extra turn and can ask any player (including the same one) for another card.
  7. If the player does not have the card: They say “Go Fish!”
  8. You must then draw one card from the “ocean” pile.
  9. If the card you drew completes a pair (either the one you just asked for or any other card in your hand), show the pair, discard it to your pile, and you get another extra turn.
  10. If the card you drew does not make a pair, your turn is over. Keep the card in your hand. 
  11. Play proceeds clockwise. If a player runs out of cards in their hand (because they paired them all), and it is their turn, they must draw one card from the “ocean” (if any cards are left). If the “ocean” is empty, they are simply out of the game and wait for it to end.
  12. The game continues until all 27 pairs have been made (the “ocean” is empty and no players have any cards left). After all cards have been taken, players count the number of pairs they collected. The player with the most pairs wins.

Printing Tips 印刷について

Please check out my Printing Tips page for more information.

Kanji Playing Cards – Red

You can grab the Red deck for free from my Ko-Fi shop.

Japanese Kanji Playing Cards - Red - Rudo & Japanese's Ko-fi Shop

Kanji Playing Cards – Blue/Green/Purple

These decks come in a bundle.

Japanese Kanji Playing Cards - N5 Bundle - Rudo & Japanese's Ko-fi Shop