Henohenomoeji: the hidden face of the hiraganas

Symbol as discreet as omnipresent in the popular Japanese culture, the ” This face drawn from several characters hiragana is at the same time children’s play, folk element, graphic wink and historical trace. Immersing yourself in its universe is discovering a playful facet of Japanese language, mixing humour, oral tradition and vernacular artistic expressions.

What does henohenomoeji mean?

The term “…” means a rudimentary drawing of a human face consisting solely of hiraganas: “… Each character corresponds to an element of the face:

The first and the second “…” form the eyebrows.
The two “W” represent the eyes.
The ”” suggests the nose.
The third is the mouth.
The “W” draws the contour of the face or a stylized round cheek.

This minimalist design evokes a caricatural face, usually masculine, often neutral or impassive. It appears in various contexts: on scarecrows (kakashi), in notebook margins, or as a visual gag in manga and cartoons.

Origins and dissemination

The precise origin of the It did not exist in this form at the beginning of the Edo era (early 17th century), but seems to have been widely disseminated in popular culture from the second half of that same period. Its simple structure and the ease with which it can be traced by hand probably favored the spread, first in the Kansai regions (Kyoto, Osaka), then throughout Japan.

Slightly different forms existed, such as: These variants have sometimes given rise to regional expressions or nicknames, particularly in the Kantō region. There are even ancient artistic occurrences, as in some works by the painter ukiyo-e Utagawa Hiroshige, where one recognizes a stylized face composed of characters.

A graphic game and an educational tool

TheMoji-e(文 It is a form of entertainment accessible to children, but also provides educational support:

It helps young people to memorize hiraganas by making them visual.
It promotes graphic creativity.
It introduces notions of facial expressions with linguistic elements.

This educational approach is similar to that ofuta-e-kaki( Many Japanese teachers are still using henohenomoeji in schools to stimulate syllable learning in a fun way.

Use of henohenomoeji in Japanese visual culture

The school slicing is far beyond the scope of the school slicing. It can be found in various popular cultural materials:

In manga: It is often used to represent an assumed or emptied character, or as a temporarily drawn face instead of a real character, in a comic or meta effect.
In educational programmes– NHK L-a integrated into songs broadcast in children’s programs, such as “Minna no Uta” or “Uta no Ehon”.
On the traditional scarecrows: It is the typical face drawn on rag or wooden heads, often in rice fields, reinforcing the link between hardiness, tradition and naive representation.

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Variants and other examples of faces in Japanese characters

Success gave rise to a whole series of variants, playing on other combinations of characters to create expressive or absurd faces:

A smiling or malicious face.
More sophisticated look.
With different visual effects for the mouth or eyes.
In which the ””’ forms a protruding chin or jaw.

Some drawings go further in stylization, such as the one called This one uses the characters “, “, ” , ” , ” , ” , ” , ” , ” , ” , ” , ” and ” , ” to compose a face of old bald, without mouth, but with very recognizable features. This demonstrates the richness of the graphic game based on the Japanese phonetic alphabet.

Oral transmission and child culture

It is one of the elements of oral and child culture that go through generations. Its simplicity promotes direct transmission, without the need for written support. It is often the elders or teachers who teach the younger ones, drawing them in front of them and naming each part of the face as they progress.

It is also found in songs and rhymes, or integrated into manual artistic activities. Some contemporary artists, such as the comic duoYaponsukihave even revisited the concept in humorous illustrated albums.

A living tradition in the collective imagination

Despite its apparent banality, the Japanese popular culture continues to occupy a stable place. It is sometimes mocked, parodied, or reinterpreted, but remains immediately identifiable. Its graphic efficiency is based on symbolic abstraction and on the familiarity of Japanese characters in their cursive form.

Today, it can be seen on social networks, in local advertisements or mascots. Some illustrators use it as a base to create custom faces. He also continues to live through children’s drawings or school graffiti on blackboards.

Although it is often relegated to the rank of a child’s mere squeak, the Understanding this drawing is also about understanding how a language can be used in the image, and how Japan cultivates a graphic sensitivity accessible to all.

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