The poem is written in the traditional style of alternating lines of seven and five syllables, and uses each character of the Japanese hiragana syllabary exactly once.
This has made it popular since ancient times as a way for children to learn Japanese.

The project name Iroha Nihon combines the first line of the poem, I-Ro-Ha-Ni-Ho-He-To, with Nihon, the Japanese word for “Japan.”
This is meant as an expression of the origins and flourishing of Japanese culture.