nazokake
なぞかけ
Nazokake is a type of riddle involving two things that seem to have nothing in common, but can be linked by some word play.
An English example: "What do mini skirts and wedding speeches have in common? The shorter they are, the happier they make other people."
In Japanese, nazokake normally follow the following format:
- ○○とかけて××と解く。その心は□□。
In this case, ○○ and ×× are two seemingly unrelated things, while □□ is the punchline that connects them.