Henohenomoheji

Henohenomoheji

Henohenomoheji (Japanese : へのへのもへじ HEH-noh-HEH-noh-moh-HEH-jee) or hehenonomoheji (へへののもへじ) is a face known to be drawn by Japanese schoolchildren using hiragana characters. ^[1] It became a popular drawing during the Edo period. ^[2]

A henohenomoheji featuring in a manga panel in the 1910 issue of the Japanese girls' magazine Shōjo

Composition

The word breaks down into seven hiragana characters: he (へ), no (の), he (へ), no (の), mo (も), he (へ), and ji (じ). The first two he are the eyebrows, the two no are the eyes, the mo is a nose, and the last he is the mouth. The outline of the face is made by the character ji, its two short strokes ( dakuten ) forming the ear or cheek.

Henohenomoheji is often used to symbolize an undistinguished or generic human face, such as the faces of kakashi (scarecrows) ^[1] and teru teru bōzu. The characters are often sung as they are drawn, making the henohenomoheji an ekaki uta (絵描き歌, drawing song). ^[2]

Gallery

• 
  As a graffito
• 
  On a teru teru bōzu
• 
  On a scarecrow
• 
  An early example as a detail on a netsuke from the 19th century

See also

• Tête à Toto, similar typographical face in French
• ASCII art
• Cool S
• Emoticon
• Smiley

References

1. "Let's Learn Hiragana with Japanese Culture: Henohenomoheji". Japanese.about.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
2. Natsue, Washizu (1997). わらべうたとナーサリー・ライム (in Japanese). Banseisha. p. 28. ISBN   9784891882709.

External links

• Henohenomoheji variations at the Wayback Machine (archived May 6, 2015)(in Japanese)