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Nihon no kotowaza
Nihon-no-kotowaza
Japanese Proverbs and Idioms
KOTOWAZA Catagories
On being wise
On the Quality of Life
Take Advantage of Opportunities
Encouragement and Support
Good Luck and Bad Luck
Japanese is displayed here in SJIS code.
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Select to hear the phrase (Embed .wav format).
Have a favourite kotowaza? Send it for adding to this list.
On Being Wise:
言わぬが花
Literal: Not-speaking is the flower.
Iwanu ga hana
Meaning: some things are better left unsaid;
Silence is golden
薮をつついて蛇を出す
Literal: Poke around in a bush and a snake will come out.yabu hebi da -- that'll teach you to keep quiet, or yabu hebi ni naru -- you will make work for yourself.
Yabu wo tsutsuite hebi wo dasu
Meaning: Let sleeping dogs lie.
馬鹿は死ななきゃ治らない
Literal: a fool is only cured by dying.
Baka wa shinanakya naoranai
Meaning: Once a fool, always a fool.
親馬鹿
Literal: parent fool.
Oya-baka
Meaning: a parent who believes everything their child does is wonderful.
馬鹿も一芸
Literal: even a fool has one talent.
Baka mo ichi-gei
Meaning: even a fool is good at something.
猫に小判
Literal: a gold coin to a cat.
Neko ni koban
Meaning: don't offer things to a person incapable of appreciating them.
豚に真珠
Literal: a pearl to a pig.
Buta ni shinji
Meaning: don't offer things to a person incapable of appreciating them.
馬の耳に念仏
Literal: a sutra (Buddhist prayer) in a horse's ear.
Uma no mimi ni nembutsu
Meaning: a wasted effort
女三人寄れば姦しい
Literal: if three women visit, noisy (kashimashii is made up of three small kanji for woman).
Onna sannin yoreba kashimashii
Meaning: wherever three women gather it is noisy.
仏の顔も三度
Literal: Buddha's face too three times.
Hotoke no kao mo san do
Meaning: To try the patience of a saint, even a Buddha's face will loose it's composure if asked something too many times.
屁と火事はもとから騒ぐ
Literal: Fart and fire, from the origin, make a fuss.
He to kaji wa moto kara sawagu
Meaning: It is often the originator who complains loudest.
良薬口に苦し
Literal: Good medicine tastes bitter in the mouth.
Ryooyaku kuchi ni nigashi
Meaning: Good advice is often unpleasant and difficult to accept. Sometimes the bitter truth is the best medicine.
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On the Quality of Life:
井の中の蛙大海をしらず
Literal: a frog in a well doesn't know the ocean.
I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu
Meaning: a country person, or encourage someone to get a wider perspective.
住めば都
Literal: If residing, capital/metropolis.
Sumeba miyako
Meaning: Wherever you live, you come to love it.
猫のひたいのような
Literal: like a cat's forehead.
Neko no hitai no you na
Meaning: when referring to a very small room.
十人十色
Literal: ten people, ten colours.
Juu-nin to-iro
Meaning: Everyone has their own tastes;Different strokes for different folks'.
出る釘は打たれる
Literal: the nail which sticks out will get hammered.
Deru kugi wa utareru
Meaning: encourage conformity,OK to be different but not too different.
となりの芝生は青い
Literal: the neighbour's lawn is green.
Tonari no shibafu wa aoi
Meaning: the grass is always greener on the other side.
郷に入っては、郷に従え
Literal: Entering the village, obey the village.
Gou ni itte wa, gou ni shitagae
Meaning: When in Rome, do as the Romans.
蓼食う虫も好き好き
Literal: knotweed eating insect also various tastes.
Tade kuu mushi mo suki-zuki
Meaning: There is even an insect which likes to eat knotweed, there's no accounting for tastes.
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Take Advantage of Opportunities:
さばを読む
Literal: to read the mackerel.
Saba wo yomu
Meaning: to manipulate figures to one's advantage.
捕らぬ狸の皮算用
Literal: count the skins of racoons which haven't been caught.
Toranu tanuki no kawa zan'you
Meaning: don't count your chickens before they've hatched.
一石二鳥
Literal: one stone, two birds.
Isseki ni chou
Meaning: Kill two birds with one stone.
脳ある鷹は爪を隠す
Literal: the hawk with talent hides its talons.
Nou aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu
Meaning: a wise person keeps some talents in reserve; the person who knows most often says least.
頭隠して、尻隠さず
Literal: cover/hide your head, and not cover your bottom.
Atama kakushite, shiri kakusazu
Meaning: Be careful not to expose your weak point while attempting to protect yourself.
光陰矢のごとし
Literal: time, like an arrow.
Kouin ya no gotoshi
Meaning: Time flies; time and tide wait for no man; life is short.
地震、雷、火事、親父
Literal: Earthquakes, Thunder, Fires, Fathers.
Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji
Meaning: compares the traditional Japanese father with other things to be feared.
三人寄れば文珠の知恵
Literal: if three people gather, Monju'sa (buddhist god of wisdom) wisdom.
San nin yoreba Monju no chie
Meaning: Two heads are better than one.
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Encouragement and Support:
七転び八起き
Literal: seven falls, eight getting up.
Nana korobi, ya oki
Meaning: an encouragement to keep going no matter how tough it is.
猿も木から落ちる
Literal: even monkees fall from trees.
Saru mo ki kara ochiru
Meaning: even an expert can make mistakes; or a warning that "pride comes before a fall.
河童も川流れ
Literal: even a excellent swimmer can get carried away by the river.
Kappa mo kawa nagare
Meaning: anyone can make mistakes.
こうぼうも筆の誤り
Literal: even Koubou (Buddhist priest famous for his calligraphy) made mistakes with his brush.
Koubou mo fude no ayamari
Meaning: even experts can make mistakes; or (pride leads to a fall).
急がば回れ
Literal: If hurried, go around.
Isogaba maware
Meaning: In a hurry it is often faster to take a roundabout route.
雨降って地固まる
Literal: rained on ground hardens.
Ame futte ji katamaru
Meaning: adversity builds character.
花より団子
Literal: dumplings rather than flowers.
Hana yori dango
Meaning: To have more interest in the practical than the aesthetic.
塵も積もれば山となる
Literal: piled-up specks of dust become a mountain
Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru
Meaning: Many small efforts combined bring great success. Little things add up.
石の上にも三年
Literal: Sitting on a stone for three years.
Ishi no ue nimo sannen
Meaning: One who endures wins in the end from perseverence is a virtue. If you sit on your cold rock for 3 years it eventually warm-up and you are more secure in your position.
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Good Luck and Bad Luck:
泣き面に蜂
Literal: a bee to a crying face.
Nakitsura ni hachi
Meaning: misfortunes seldom come alone; when it rains, it pours.
屁をひって尻窄め
Literal: breaking wind, closing buttocks.
He wo hitte shiri tsubome
Meaning: no use shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
覆水盆に返らず
Literal: overturned water doesn't return to the tray.
Fuku sui bon ni kaerazu
Meaning: What's done is done; no use crying over spilt milk.
落花枝に帰らず
Literal: fallen blossom doesn't return to the branch.
Rakka eda ni kaerazu
Meaning: what's done is done; do not cry over spilled milk.
破鏡再び照らさず
Literal: a broken mirror can not be made to shine.
Hakyou futatabi terasazu
Meaning: what's done is done; do not cry over spilled milk.
人間万事塞翁が馬
Literal: humans everything Saiou horse.
Ningen banji saiou ga uma
Meaning: All human affairs are like Saiou's horse; what at first appears to be good luck turns out to be bad luck and vise versa.
From a Chinese folk tale about an old man called Sai. One day his horse ran away. His neighbours commiserated with him over his misfortune,
but Sai said "How do you know this is not really good luck?". A few days later the horse returned, bringing another horse with it. His neighbours
congratulated him on his good luck, the old man said "How do you know this is really good luck?" Some while later Sai's son while riding the horse
falls and breaks his leg. This was good fortune when all the men of the village are ordered to join the Emperor's army. Sai's son doesn't have to go
since he has a broken leg.
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Japanese | proverbs | and | idioms | with | translation, | explanation | and | sound | files | (WAV | format). |
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http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/5623/kotowjis.html
Nihon no Kotowaza 2008 October
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Japanese proverbs and idioms with translation, explanation and sound files (WAV format).
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