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Proverbs & idioms

936 entries

Japanese proverbs (ことわざ), four-character idioms (四字熟語), and idioms — from JMdict.

Proverbs Four-character idioms Idioms

Theme:All themes Animal143 Body206 Nature189 Food76 Emotion95 Money84 Time118 Number317 Color75

明日という日もあるあしたというひもあるtomorrow is another day; there's always tomorrow
明日のことを言えば鬼が笑うあすのことをいえばおにがわらうnobody knows the morrow; speak of tomorrow and the ogres laugh
明日の百より今日の五十あすのひゃくよりきょうのごじゅうa bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; fifty today is better than a hundred tomorrow
明日は我が身あすはわがみwhat happens to one today may happen to another tomorrow; misfortunes can happen to anyone
明日は明日の風が吹くあしたはあしたのかぜがふくtomorrow will take care of itself; let the morn come and the meat with it; tomorrow, the winds of tomorrow will blow
明日やろうは馬鹿野郎あしたやろうはばかやろうnever put off until tomorrow what you can do today; (he who says) 'let's do it tomorrow' is a moron

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明鏡も裏を照らさずめいきょうもうらをてらさず

anyone can make a mistake; even Homer nods; even a polished mirror conceals its reverse side

易者身の上知らずえきしゃみのうえしらずpeople don't know themselves as well as they know others; even if you know what will happen to others, you don't know what will happen to yourself; a fortune teller can't tell their own future

昔は昔、今は今むかしはむかし、いまはいまlet bygones be bygones; the past is the past, the present is the present

春に３日の晴れ間なしはるにみっかのはれまなしgood weather never lasts for three days in spring

春宵一刻値千金しゅんしょういっこくあたいせんきんa moment of time in a spring evening is worth a thousand pieces of gold

春眠暁を覚えずしゅんみんあかつきをおぼえずin spring one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn; in spring one sleeps like a log

昨日の友は今日の敵きのうのともはきょうのてきa friend today may turn against you tomorrow

時が解決するときがかいけつするtime will cure all; time heals all wounds

暑さ寒さも彼岸まであつささむさもひがんまでno heat or cold lasts over the equinox

最後に笑う者が最もよく笑うさいごにわらうものがもっともよくわらうhe who laughs last, laughs best

月とすっぽんつきとすっぽんas different as the moon and a snapping turtle — two things that look alike but are vastly different in quality

月夜の晩ばかりじゃないつきよのばんばかりじゃないyou better watch your step!; sleep with one eye open!

月満つれば則ち虧くつきみつればすなわちかくevery tide has its ebb

朝に道を聞かば、夕べに死すとも可なりあしたにみちをきかば、ゆうべにしすともかなりif a man hears the Way in the morning, he may die in the evening without regret

朝マラの立たぬ男に金貸すなあさマラのたたぬおとこにかねかすなdo not lend money to a man who doesn't have an erection in the morning (because he is not in good health and might die before he can repay)

朝焼けは雨、夕焼けは晴れあさやけはあめ、ゆうやけははれred sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, shepherds delight; red sky in morning, shepherds take warning

朝起きは三文の徳あさおきはさんもんのとくthe early bird catches the worm

木の実は本へ落つきのみはもとへおつall returns to dust; the fruit of the tree falls to the roots

木の葉を隠すなら森の中このはをかくすならもりのなかif you want to hide a leaf, the best place is a forest

木を隠すなら森の中きをかくすならもりのなかif you want to hide a tree, the best place is a forest

本木にまさる末木なしもときにまさるうらきなしof soup and love, the first is the best; one's first spouse tends to be better than any subsequent spouse

朱に交われば赤くなるしゅにまじわればあかくなるpeople will take on the characteristics of those who surround them; spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer; when mixing with vermillion, one becomes red

李下に冠を正さずりかにかんむりをたださずleave no room for scandal; don't do anything that can be misinterpreted; don't straighten your cap under a plum tree (because when you raise your hands it might look as if you're trying to steal the plums)

杖に縋るとも人に縋るなつえにすがるともひとにすがるなdon't be a burden to others; lean on your cane, but don't lean on others

来る者は拒まずくるものはこばまずturn away no one; do not cast out those that come to you

来る者拒まずくるものこばまずaccept one who comes to you

来年のことを言うと鬼が笑うらいねんのことをいうとおにがわらうnobody knows the morrow; speak of next year and the ogres laugh

東は東西は西ひがしはひがしにしはにしEast is East, and West is West

東男に京女あずまおとこにきょうおんなthe best men are from Edo; the best women from Kyoto

板子一枚下は地獄いたごいちまいしたはじごくthere is only the thickness of the boat's planking between one and perdition; on a boat, one is only an inch or two from a watery grave

果報は寝て待てかほうはねてまてgood things come to those who wait

枯れ木も山の賑わいかれきもやまのにぎわいhalf a loaf is better than none; even a dead tree adds to the interest of a mountain

柔よく剛を制すじゅうよくごうをせいすsoft and fair goes far; willows are weak, yet they bind other wood

柳に雪折れなしやなぎにゆきおれなしthe soft may prove more durable than the hard; willow trees don't break under the weight of snow

柳の下にいつも泥鰌はいないやなぎのしたにいつもどじょうはいないa fox is not taken twice in the same snare; there are no birds in last year's nest; there aren't always loach under the willow tree; good luck does not always repeat itself

柳の下にいつも泥鰌はおらぬやなぎのしたにいつもどじょうはおらぬa fox is not taken twice in the same snare; there are no birds in last year's nest; there aren't always loaches under the willow tree

栴檀は双葉より芳しせんだんはふたばよりかんばしgenius shows from childhood; the Japanese bead tree is fragrant from when a sprout

桃李もの言わざれども下自ら蹊を成すとうりものいわざれどもしたおのずからみちをなすa man of virtue will naturally attract admirers; good wine speaks for itself

桃栗三年柿八年ももくりさんねんかきはちねんit often takes time for one's actions to bear fruit; planted peach and chestnut seeds take three years (to bear fruit), persimmons take eight

案ずるより産むが易しあんずるよりうむがやすしit is easier to do something than worry about it; fear overruns the danger; it is easier to bear (a child) than to worry about it

桑田変じて滄海となるそうでんへんじてそうかいとなるthe world is a scene of constant changes; a mulberry field changes into a blue sea

桜切る馬鹿、梅切らぬ馬鹿さくらきるばか、うめきらぬばかonly an idiot prunes cherry trees and only an idiot does not prune plum trees

梅は食うとも核食うな、中に天神寝てござるうめはくうともさねくうな、なかにてんじんねてござるdon't eat plum pits (because they are poisonous); if you eat a plum, don't eat the kernel; inside it heavenly gods sleep

棒ほど願って針ほど叶うぼうほどねがってはりほどかなうyou can't always get what you want; man plans and God laughs; things don't always turn out the way you hope