Competitive Karuta:
Kimariji 3-Choice Quiz

Read the lower verse and select the correct kimariji from three choices. After a correct answer, a button will appear next to the card. Press it to continue to the next question.

How many questions?


What is Kimariji?

Kimariji are the decisive syllables — the shortest beginning of a poem that uniquely identifies which card to take.

For example, only one poem starts with "mu." As soon as you hear "mu," you know the card is "Murasame no / Tsuyu mo mada hinu / Maki no ha ni / Kiri tachi noboru / Aki no yugure." In this case the kimariji is just 1 syllable, but some can be up to 6 syllables long.

Competitive karuta is a game of speed, so memorizing kimariji gives you a major advantage in matches.