Hyakunin Isshu in English
Welcome to the English section of 百人一首.jp (Hyakuninisshu.jp) — a resource for fans of competitive karuta (かるた) and classical Japanese poetry who want to learn the Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首, "One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets").
日本語の方へ：百人一首.jp は、日本の古典和歌アンソロジー「百人一首」を、海外の競技かるたファン・英語話者の方にも楽しんでいただけるよう、英語コンテンツも提供しています。
What is the Hyakunin Isshu?
The Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese anthology compiled in the 13th century, containing 100 waka poems by 100 different poets. It is best known today as the basis of competitive karuta (競技かるた), the fast-paced card-matching sport popularized worldwide by the anime and manga series Chihayafuru.
Each poem consists of an upper verse (上の句, kami-no-ku) and a lower verse (下の句, shimo-no-ku). In karuta, players must recognize a poem from only its opening sounds — called the kimariji (決まり字, "determining characters") — and grab the matching card before their opponent.
Start practicing: Kimariji Flashcard Trainer
Memorizing the kimariji for all 100 poems is the first major hurdle for any karuta player — and it's exactly what trips up most newcomers. Our Kimariji Flashcard Trainer lets you study the original Japanese text, romaji (romanized reading), and English translation side by side, with audio playback and progress tracking — all in one interactive tool.
Try the Kimariji Flashcard Trainer →
More resources
- Browse all 100 poems with English translations in our English study guide
- See the full list of poems (in Japanese) on the Hyakunin Isshu list page
- Learn how competitive karuta is played in our karuta basics guide
About this resource
百人一首.jp is a Japan-based learning resource that has published original commentary, translations, and practice tools for all 100 Hyakunin Isshu poems since 2025. Our English content draws on the classic 1917 Clay MacCauley translation (public domain) alongside hand-reviewed romaji that accounts for historical kana usage (歴史的仮名遣い). See About 百人一首.jp for our full editorial policy and references.
