Proverbs & idioms

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

• 鯛の尾より鰯の頭たいのおよりいわしのかしらbetter be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion
• 鰯の頭も信心からいわしのあたまもしんじんからfaith is mysterious; faith is weird; even a pilchard's head (can be revered) through faith
• 鳥なき里の蝙蝠とりなきさとのこうもりin the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; a bat in a village without birds
• 鴨が葱を背負ってくるかもがねぎをしょってくるa duck arrives carrying a leek (everything needed for a hot pot) — a stroke of luck where opportunity hands itself to you
• 鶏口となるも牛後となる勿れけいこうとなるもぎゅうごとなるなかれbetter be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion; better be first in a village than second at Rome; better to be the mouth of a chicken than the rear end of a cow
• 鶴は千年亀は万年つるはせんねんかめはまんねんenjoying a long life is a matter for congratulation; cranes live for 1000 years, turtles live for 10,000 years