Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game) Coloring Pages

Laughter Brings Good Luck! A Traditional New Year's Game

Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game) is a traditional Japanese New Year's game that started way back in the Edo period. You wear a blindfold and put separated face parts in the right places. Then, everyone laughs together at the funny face you made!

History and Meaning of Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game)

Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game) includes a special wish for your new year to be full of happy smiles.

• Where the name comes from: It comes from the famous saying, "Laughter brings good luck"! This means good fortune comes to a home filled with smiles.

• When to play: People usually play it during New Year's when family and relatives get together after visiting shrines or temples.

• Popular Characters:

  • Okame: A woman with chubby cheeks. People see her as a "face that brings good luck."

  • Hyottoko: A man making a silly face with a puckered mouth. People love him as a god who protects fire and a symbol of good luck.

How Do You Play?

1. Get the parts ready: Use scissors to cut out the eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows.

2. Put on a blindfold: The player covers their eyes with a cloth or a towel.

3. Make a face: Place the parts down while listening to clues from friends, like "Up a bit!" or "To the right!"

4. Laugh together: Take off the blindfold, look at the funny face, and laugh with everyone!

How to Choose Colors: Use Lucky Red and White, or Soft Skin Tones!

Before you cut out the pieces for your Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game) coloring page, try coloring them first so each face looks full of expression!

• Basic Colors: Choose mostly peach, red (for cheeks and lips), black (for eyebrows and pupils), and white (for the Okame face).

• Okame: Color the whole face a light skin tone that is close to white, and color the cheeks plump with bright pink or red. This will make a happy face!

• Hyottoko: Color around his nose and lips with red or orange to make him look funny and silly. If you color his headscarf with light blue polka dots, he will have his classic look!

• Parts: If you color the eyebrows and pupils jet black and clearly, the face expressions will look sharp and fun!

How to color with 3D depth: Make chubby cheeks and cute faces!

To make a lively face by using the shape of each piece, let’s think about "shadows" and "lights".

• Shadowy spots: If you add a little bit of a darker color for shadows under the cheeks, under the nose, or at the corners of the mouth, the face will look nice and plump!

• Where the light hits: Leave a little white or use bright colors on the tip of the nose and the top of the cheeks! This gives a healthy glow.

Let’s add cool textures!

Colored pencils: For the hair, think about coloring one line at a time. This gives it a shiny black hair look! Scissors: When you cut out the shapes, carefully cut just outside the dotted lines. That will make the pieces easier to play with!

Is Smiling Good for You?

In Japan, there is an old saying: "Fortune comes to a smiling face." This means that a happy home full of smiles and laughter will naturally bring good luck. That is why people started playing Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game) at New Year's—to laugh out loud together and bring in good fortune for the new year!

Who is the Face Based On?

Do you know the plump woman's face often used in Fukuwarai (Japanese Face Game)? She is called "Okame" or "Otafuku." Her gentle, charming face is said to bring good luck. Sometimes, a funny face named "Hyottoko," who makes a pucker with his mouth, is used too!

How Do You Win?

Some people play where the person who puts the eyes and nose in the right spots wins. But really, there are no set rules! You can make the rule that the person who makes the funniest face wins, or everyone wins because you all had a great laugh. Just enjoy it any way you like!