Japanese proverbs

Japanese proverbs include 四字熟語 (Four-character idiom), ことわざ (Kotowaza proverbs) and 慣用句 (Common idioms). Japanese love proverbs and sayings and use them in everyday life frequently.

Because traditional Japanese culture was tied to agriculture, many Japanese proverbs are derived from agricultural customs and practices. Many of them contain commentary on the behavior of women as well as natural phenomena. Some are from the Go game and Buddhism and, many four-characters phrases are from Chinese philosophy.

The heavy employment of proverbs enables Japanese language to be compact, quick and simple. Evidence might be found in Japanese animation and Japanese comics or manga. The huge popularity in instant messaging by cellular phones can be due to this.

Among them are:

A

あまり物には福があ&#12427 (Amarimono niha fuku ga aru) -- (lit. fortunes exist among leftovers)

E

蝦で鯛を釣る

Ebi de tai wo tsuru

H

人の振り見て我が振りなおせ (Hito no firimite wagafurinaose) -- Instead of accusing others of bad manners, learn from it and behave yourself. (lit. Correct your own behavior by looking at others'.)

I

一石二鳥 (isseki one stone + nicho two birds) -- conveniently or smartly achieving two goals by making just one move (lit. two birds with one stone) Killing two birds with one stone in English
犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru) -- things happen when you do something (lit. even walking dogs hit a bar).
言わぬが花 (Iwanu ga hana) -- When kept secret, people tend to imagine it is a very good thing. (lit. not speaking is a flower)

J

自画自賛 (ji oneself + ga picture + ji oneself + san praise) -- Every potter praises his own pot in English (lit. Praise one's own work, maybe shamelessly)
十人十色 (juu nin ten people + to iro ten colors) -- Different strokes for different folks in English

K

壁に耳あり、障子に目あり (kabe ni mimi ari shouji ni me ari, kabe wall + mimi ear + shouji + me eye) -- one may not be fully aware of how closely one is being monitored by others. (lit. the walls have ears, the doors have eyes)

S

神出鬼没 (shin God + shutsu come out + ki oni + botsu sink) -- unexpectedness of a person's behavior, indicating the person is clever (lit. to appear like a god and disappear like a phantom)
猿も木から落ちる -- even experts make mistakes (lit. Even monkeys drop from a tree)

Uncategorized

聞くは一時の恥聞かぬは一生の恥 (Kiku ha ittoki no hajikikanu ha isshô no haji) -- Shame when you ask is less than when you didn't
笑う門には福来る (Warau kado niha fuku kitaru) -- Laughter/smile brings happiness and fortune. (lit. fortune comes to a street corner of someone smiling.)
秋茄子は嫁に食わすな (Akinasu ha yomeni kuwasuna) -- Don't get fall-harvest eggplant (nasu) to your son's wife (lit. the same.)
挨拶は時の氏神 (Aisatsu ha tokino ujigami)
悪妻は百年の不作 (Akusai ha hyaku-nenn no fusaku) -- A bad wife is equivalent to a hundred years of bad harvest. (lit. a bad wife is one hundred years of bad harvest.)
朝の蜘蛛は福が来る、夜の蜘蛛は盗人が来る
アワビの貝の片想い
案ずるより生むが易し
言いたい事は明日言え
医者の不養生 -- A doctor may be careless about his/her own health. (A doctor's carelessness about his/her own health.)
入り鉄砲に出女 (lit. guns enter and women leave)
烏合の衆 (Ugou no shu) -- a disorderly crowd (lit. People like cloud of birds) the unwahsed masses, or an unruly mob in English, perhaps.
兎の角 (Usagi no tsuno) -- (lit. The horns of rabbits)
うどの大木 (Udo no taiboku) -- Just big man with nothing (lit. A huge udo tree). All bark and no bite or All hat and no cattle in English.
江戸っ子は五月の鯉の吹き流し (Edokko ha gogatsu no koi no fukinagashi) -- (lit. )
海老で鯛を釣る (Ebi de tai wo tsuru) -- (lit. Fishing a sea beam by shrimp)
老い木に花 (Oiki ni hana) -- (lit. Flowers on a old tree)
押してもだめなら引いてみな (Oshitemo damenara hiitemina) -- (lit. Pull if it does not work when you push)
男心と秋の空 (Otokogogoro to aki no sora) -- (lit. The mind of a man and the fall sky)
女心と秋の空 (Onnagokoro to aki no sora) -- (lit. The mind of a woman in fall sky)
飼い犬に手をかまれる (Kaiinu ni te wo kamareru) -- (lit. Your own dog bites your hand)
風と女は閉じ込められない (Kaze to onna ha tozikome rarenai) -- (lit. You can't lock in wind or woman)
風の中で育った木は根が強い (Kaze no naka de sodatta ki ha ne ga tsuyoi) -- (lit. The root of a tree that grew up in wind is strong)
風吹けば桶屋が儲かる (Kaze fukeba okeya ga moukaku) -- (lit. A bucket shop profits when wind blows).
河童の川流れ (Kappa no kawa nagare) -- Even professionals fails sometimes. (lit. )
金持ち喧嘩せず -- The rich don't fight
義を見てせざるは勇無きなり
食うだけなら犬でも食う -- Even dogs can eat
芸が身を助ける -- Your skills help you
芸が身を助けるほどの不仕合せ
下衆の後知恵
恋に師匠無し
国士無双 -- No one else in the nation
紺屋の白袴
塞翁が馬
才子、才に倒れる or often 策士、策士におぼれる
四海波静か
疾風に勁草を知る
水火も辞せず
するのは失敗何もしないのは大失敗
青雲の志 (literally meaning ambitious of blue sky)
切磋琢磨 (Sessa takuma)
前人の植えた樹 -- Trees planed by formers. Comment: Is this supposed to be trees planted by farmers? A little more about when the saying is appropriate woudl help match this to an English proverb
滄海の一粟
袖すり合うも他生の縁
大海の一滴 -- One drop in the big ocean
立て板に水
旅の恥はかきすて
知恵者1人馬鹿万人
着眼大局 from Go game. Comment: Go proverbs seem to be a rich source of proverbs that don't have direct equivalents in English. Does the author have more? If so, at least literal translactions would help
ついた餅より心持ち
月夜に釜を抜かれる
泥中の蓮
天長地久 from 老子
頭角を表す from 韓愈
捕らぬ狸の皮算用
取り付く島も無い
無い袖は振れぬ from 世話尽
夏の雨は、馬の背を分ける
煮え湯に水を差す
糠に釘
猫に小判
猫も杓子も
猫をかぶる
能ある鷹は爪を隠す
肺肝を披く from 杜甫
八細工七貧乏
日暮れて道遠し from 史記
冷や飯を食わせる -- Don't get me cold meals
風樹の嘆
風前のともし火
覆水盆にかえらず
へそで茶を沸かす
傍若無人 from 史記
臍を固める
まかぬ種は生えぬ
待てば海路の日和有り
ミイラとりがミイラになる
水は方円の器に随う
三日坊主
昔取った杵柄
無理は三度 -- impossible is three times
明鏡止水 from 荘子
明鏡も裏を照らさず
名物に美味いものなし
芽が出る
盲蛇に怖じず from 世話尽
本木(幹木)に勝るうら木無し
餅は餅屋
桃栗三年柿八年
門前市をなす
焼き餅焼くとて手を焼くな
焼け石に水
焼木杙に火がつく
柳の下にいつも泥鰌はいない
薮から棒
病膏肓にいる
唯我独尊
宵越しの金は持たぬ
横槍を入れる
楽は苦の種苦は楽の種
李下の冠
類は友を呼ぶ (Rui ha tomowo yobu) -- Like-minded tend to befriend with each other. (lit. Similarities call friends) from 易経 Birds of a feather flock together, or perhaps, 'Great minds think alike in English.
瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば光る
瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば解る
礼も過ぎれば無礼
老少不定
ワインを損なう器は悪い器
わざわい転じて福となす
わわしい女は夫を食う
石の上にも三年
堪忍袋の緒が切れる
爪の垢を煎じて飲む
七転び八起き
ならぬ堪忍するが堪忍
彼も人なりわれも人なり
地獄耳 (Jigoku mimi) -- Ability to catch rumor, gossip, or anything of his/her benefit, or the person who has that ability (lit. Hell ear)
手を拱く
天は自ら助くる者を助く -- (lit. The heaven helps those who help themselves) God helps those who help themselves in English
八方塞がり
枕を高くして寝る
水の泡となる
求めよさらば与えられん
物は試し (Monowa tameshi) -- give it a try (things are to be tried.) Just do it in English

External Links

Japanese Language Kotowaza - proverbs & sayings - an excellent article about Japanese proverbs and saying
Words of Wisdom OK312 「英⇔日」対照・名言ことわざ辞典
http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/swata/swkoto.html (in Japanese)

See also

External Links