阿弥陀籤

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 阿弥陀籤, read あみだくじ, and it is a fixed noun combining 阿弥陀 with 籤, meaning lottery or lot.
• Basic usage: The basic sense of 阿弥陀籤 is a ladder lottery in which vertical starting lines and horizontal links lead each participant to a result.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A result reached by following lines
  • Both examples use the form 阿弥陀籤. Participants do not choose their outcomes directly; each result is found by tracing the connected lines from a starting point.
• Assigning duties and drawing the chart
  • 掃除の担当は阿弥陀籤で公平に決めよう。 — Let us use a ladder lottery to assign cleaning duties fairly.
  • 紙に線を足して四人分の阿弥陀籤を作った。 — I added lines to the paper to make a ladder lottery for four people.