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{{Short description|Japanese equivalent of a palindrome}}
'''''Kaibun''''' ({{langx|ja|回文, 廻文 or かいぶん|lit=circle sentence}}) is the Japanese equivalent of the [[palindrome]], or in other words, a sentence that reads the same from the beginning to the end or from the end to the beginning. The unit of ''kaibun'' is [[mora (linguistics)|mora]], since the [[Japanese language]] uses [[syllabary|syllabaries]], ''[[hiragana]]'' and ''[[katakana]]''.

Single-word palindromes are not uncommon in Japanese. For example, ''Ku-ku'' ({{lang|ja|九九}}, [[multiplication table]]), ''Shi-n-bu-n-shi'' ({{lang|ja|新聞紙}}, newspaper), ''to-ma-to'' ({{lang|ja|トマト}}, tomato), etc. ''Kaibun'' usually refers to a palindromic sentence, but a passage can be a ''kaibun'' too.

The [[topic marker]] ''wa'' ({{lang|ja|は}}) can be treated as ''ha'' and [[Yōon|small kana]] {{lang|ja|ゃ}}, {{lang|ja|ゅ}} and {{lang|ja|ょ}} are usually allowed to be interpreted as [[kana|big kana]] {{lang|ja|や}}, {{lang|ja|ゆ}} and {{lang|ja|よ}}. In classics, [[Dakuten and handakuten|diacritic marks]] are often ignored.

Rather than saying "read the same forwards and backwards", because Japanese is traditionally [[tategaki|written vertically]], Japanese people describe the words as being the same when read from the top (''ue kara yomu'', {{langx|ja|上から読む}}) as when read from the bottom (''shita kara yomu'', {{langx|ja|下から読む}}).

==Famous kaibun==

*Ta-ke-ya-bu ya-ke-ta ({{lang|ja|竹薮焼けた}}) - A bamboo grove has been burned.
*Wa-ta-shi ma-ke-ma-shi-ta-wa ({{lang|ja|私負けましたわ}}) - I have lost.
*Na-ru-to wo to-ru-na ({{lang|ja|なるとを取るな}}) - Do not take my ''[[narutomaki|naruto]]'' (spiral-shaped [[fishcake]]).
*Da-n-su-ga su-n-da ({{lang|ja|ダンスが済んだ}}) - The dance is over.
*Shi-na-mo-n pa-n mo re-mo-n pa-n mo na-shi ({{lang|ja|シナモンパンもレモンパンも無し}}) - There is neither cinnamon bread nor lemon bread.
*Na-ga-ki yo-no to-ho-no ne-bu-ri-no mi-na me-za-me na-mi-no-ri-bu-ne-no o-to-no-yo-ki-ka-na ({{lang|ja|長き世の 遠の眠りの 皆目覚め 波乗り船の 音の良きかな}}) [[Waka (poetry)#Tanka|''Tanka'']] - Everybody gets awakened from a long sleep and enjoys the sound of waves on which the boat is gliding along.
*Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo ({{lang|ja|世の中、ホカホカなのよ}}) - The world is a warm place.
*Yo-no-na-ka-ne, ka-o-ka o-ka-ne-ka na-no-yo ({{lang|ja|世の中ね、顔かお金かなのよ}}) - In this world, it's either looks or money.

==External links==
* {{cite web |url= http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/palindromes.html |title= Do you know any Japanese palindromes? |website= sci.lang.japan FAQ |display-authors= 0 |first= Ben |last= Bullock |quote=  list of kaibun }}


[[Category:Japanese word games]]
[[Category:Palindromes]]

[[ja:回文]]