Meanings
nounrock paper scissors (uncountable)
alternative rock-paper-scissors
- uncountablehand gamesA popular children's game using three hand signs representing rock, paper and scissors, frequently used as a tiebreaker.
Synonyms: janken, paper scissors stone, roshambo, scissors paper rock, scissors paper stone
- broadlyuncountableAny situation where strategies are not transitive, meaning each strategy is strong against some strategies and weak against others in a loop such that there is no universally best option.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA popular children's game using three hand signs representing rock, paper and scissors, frequently used as a tiebreaker.
Origin
After the handshapes.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَجَر وَرَقَة مِقَصّ, حَجَر وَرَق مِقَصّ
- حَجَر وَرَقَة مِقَصّ (ḥajar waraqa miqaṣṣ)popular child's game
- حَجَر وَرَق مِقَصّ (ḥajar waraq miqaṣṣ)popular child's game
Basque harri-orri-ar
- harri-orri-arpopular child's game
Bulgarian ка́мък, но́жица, харти́я
- ка́мък, но́жица, харти́я (kámăk, nóžica, hartíja)popular child's game
Catalan pedra, paper, tisores
- pedra, paper, tisorespopular child's game
Chinese Cantonese 包剪揼
- 包剪揼 (baau¹ zin² dap⁶)popular child's game
Chinese Mandarin 石頭剪子布 /石头剪子布, 剪刀石頭布 /剪刀石头布
- 石頭剪子布 /石头剪子布 (shítou jiǎnzi bù)popular child's game
- 剪刀石頭布 /剪刀石头布 (jiǎndāo shítou bù)popular child's game
Czech kámen, nůžky, papír
- kámen, nůžky, papírpopular child's game
Danish sten, saks, papir
- sten, saks, papirpopular child's game
Dutch steen, papier, schaar, blad-steen-schaar
- steen, papier, schaarpopular child's game
- blad-steen-schaarpopular child's game
- schaar steen papierpopular child's game
Esperanto papero, tondilo, ŝtono
- papero, tondilo, ŝtonopopular child's game
Estonian kivi-paber-käärid
- kivi-paber-kääridpopular child's game
Finnish kivi-sakset-paperi, kivi-paperi-sakset
- kivi-sakset-paperipopular child's game
- kivi-paperi-saksetpopular child's game
French pierre-feuille-ciseaux, chifoumi
- pierre-feuille-ciseauxpopular child's game
- chifoumipopular child's game
German Schnick Schnack Schnuck, Schere, Stein, Papier
- Schnick Schnack Schnuckpopular child's game
- Schere, Stein, Papierpopular child's game
- Ching, Chang, Chongpopular child's game
- Klick, Klack, Kluckpopular child's game
Hebrew אבן נייר ומספריים, אֶבֶן נְיָר וּמִסְפָּרַיִם
- אבן נייר ומספרייםpopular child's game
- אֶבֶן נְיָר וּמִסְפָּרַיִם (éven n'yár u-misparáyim)popular child's game
Hindi रॉक कागज कैंची
- रॉक कागज कैंची (rŏk kāgaj ka͠icī)popular child's game
Hungarian kő-papír-olló
- kő-papír-ollópopular child's game
Indonesian gunting, batu, kertas, batu, gunting, kertas
- gunting, batu, kertaspopular child's game
- batu, gunting, kertaspopular child's game
- suitpopular child's game
- sutenpopular child's game
Irish cloch páipéar siosúr
- cloch páipéar siosúrpopular child's game
Italian morra cinese, carta, forbice, sasso
- morra cinesepopular child's game
- carta, forbice, sassopopular child's game
Japanese じゃん拳, じゃんけん
- じゃん拳popular child's game
- じゃんけん (janken)popular child's game
- じゃん拳ぽんpopular child's game
- じゃんけんぽん (jankenpon)popular child's game
Korean 가위바위보, 돌가위보
- 가위바위보 (gawibawibo)popular child's game
- 돌가위보 (dolgawibo)popular child's game
- 가위주먹 (gawijumeok)popular child's game
- 주먹가위 (jumeokgawi)popular child's game
Latvian akmens, šķēres, papīrīt's
- akmens, šķēres, papīrīt'spopular child's game
Norwegian Bokmål stein, saks, papir
- stein, saks, papirpopular child's game
Polish papier, kamień, nożyce, marynarzyk
- papier, kamień, nożycepopular child's game
- marynarzykpopular child's game
Portuguese pedra-papel-tesoura, joquempô
- pedra-papel-tesourapopular child's game
- joquempôpopular child's game
Russian ка́мень, но́жницы, бума́га
- ка́мень, но́жницы, бума́га (kámenʹ, nóžnicy, bumága)popular child's game
Spanish piedra, papel o tijera, yan ken po
- piedra, papel o tijerapopular child's game
- yan ken popopular child's game
- cachipúnpopular child's game
- jankenponpopular child's game
- yanquempópopular child's game
Swedish sten, sax, påse
- sten, sax, påsepopular child's game
Tagalog jak-en-poy, bato bato pik
- jak-en-poypopular child's game
- bato bato pikpopular child's game
Thai เป่ายิ้งฉุบ
- เป่ายิ้งฉุบ (bpào-yíng-chùp)popular child's game
Turkish taş kağıt makas
- taş kağıt makaspopular child's game
Ukrainian ка́мінь-но́жиці-папі́р
- ка́мінь-но́жиці-папі́р (káminʹ-nóžyci-papír)popular child's game
Vietnamese oẳn tù tì, xù xi
- oẳn tù tìpopular child's game
- xù xipopular child's game
- kéo búa baopopular child's game
Cite this entry
APA
rock paper scissors. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20paper%20scissors
MLA
“rock paper scissors.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20paper%20scissors. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rock paper scissors,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20paper%20scissors.
Source: rock paper scissors on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.