Proverbs & idioms

317 entries

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

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

毒を食らわば皿までどくをくらわばさらまでonce you've committed a crime, commit to it; in for a penny, in for a pound; if you've eaten poison, (lick) the plate
氏より育ちうじよりそだちnurture over nature; how one is brought up matters more than one's origins
河童の川流れかっぱのかわながれanyone can make a mistake; even Homer sometimes nods
泣く子と地頭には勝てないなくことじとうにはかてないyou cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason; you can't fight City Hall
泣く子と地頭には勝てぬなくことじとうにはかてぬyou cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason; you can't fight City Hall
涓滴岩を穿つけんてきいわをうがつslow but steady wins the race; constant effort will result in success; constant dripping wears away a stone

渇しても盗泉の水を飲まずかっしてもとうせんのみずをのまず

better starve than fatten on ill-gotten wealth; don't lower yourself to unjust acts, no matter how desperate you are; refraining to drink from a spring called Robber's Spring even if thirsty

渇に臨みて井を穿つかつにのぞみてせいをうがつto fail to make timely preparations; to not dig a well until one is thirsty

渡る世間に鬼はないわたるせけんにおにはないall people aren't evil; don't distrust everyone; there is kindness to be found everywhere

無くて七癖なくてななくせevery person has their eccentricities

無くて七癖有って四十八癖なくてななくせあってしじゅうはっくせevery person has their eccentricities

無精者の一時働きぶしょうもののいっときばたらきthe ambition of the lazy does not last

煩悩の犬は追えども去らずぼんのうのいぬはおえどもさらずone cannot escape from one's worldly desires; the hounds of earthly desires would return each time they are driven away

牛の歩みも千里うしのあゆみもせんりslow and steady wins the race; little by little, one goes far; consistency is key

猫にまたたびお女郎に小判ねこにまたたびおじょろうにこばんeveryone has their favorite; pick the right thing to please someone; catnip for cats, gold coins for prostitutes

猿も木から落ちるさるもきからおちるeven monkeys fall from trees; anyone can make a mistake; pride comes before a fall; even Homer sometimes nods

獅子は我が子を千尋の谷に落とすししはわがこをせんじんのたににおとすmake your dear ones face trials so that they may grow; spare the rod, spoil the child; the lion drops its cubs into the abyss (only raising the ones who climb back up)

玉磨かざれば光なしたまみがかざればひかりなしsuccess does not come from talent alone; an uncut gem does not sparkle

理屈と膏薬はどこへでもつくりくつとこうやくはどこへでもつくone can give a plausible argument for anything

甲の薬は乙の毒こうのくすりはおつのどくone man's meat is another man's poison; one man's medicine is another man's poison

男に二言はないおとこににごんはないa man's word is his bond; a man does not go back on what he's said

男やもめに蛆がわくおとこやもめにうじがわくwidowers are untidy; a man alone soon goes to seed; a man goes to pieces without a woman to look after him

男女七歳にして席を同じゅうせずだんじょななさいにしてせきをおなじゅうせずafter age 7, boys and girls should be kept apart

疑わしきは罰せずうたがわしきはばっせずwe are innocent until proven guilty; suspicion alone is not grounds for punishment; in dubio pro reo

百日の説法屁一つひゃくにちのせっぽうへひとつsingle mistake which ruins all one's hard work; one blunder rendering a long period of effort useless; one fart in a hundred days of sermons

百聞は一見にしかずひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかずseeing is believing; one eye-witness is better than many hearsays; a picture is worth a thousand words

百聞は一見に如かずひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかずseeing once is better than hearing a hundred times

百里を行く者は九十を半ばとすひゃくりをゆくものはくじゅうをなかばとすdon't count your chickens before they're hatched; there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip; consider a journey of 100 ri to be halfway completed at 90

盗人にも三分の理ぬすびとにもさんぶのりthe wrongdoer never lacks a pretext; even thieves have their reasons; give the devil his due

盗人を捕らえて見れば我が子なりぬすびとをとらえてみればわがこなりthe doting parent's purse is plundered; the thief caught turns out to be one's own son

目は口ほどに物を言うめはくちほどにものをいうone can say more with a look than with ten thousand words; the eyes cannot belie one's true thoughts; the eyes are the windows to the soul; eyes are as eloquent as the tongue

目明き千人盲千人めあきせんにんめくらせんにんsome are wise and some are otherwise; one thousand with their eyes open; one thousand blind

盲千人目明き千人めくらせんにんめあきせんにんsome are wise and some are otherwise; one thousand blind; one thousand with their eyes open

知者も千慮に一失ちしゃもせんりょにいっしつanyone can make a mistake; even Homer sometimes nods

石の上にも三年いしのうえにもさんねんperseverance prevails; three years on a (cold) stone (will make the stone warm)

神のみぞ知るかみのみぞしるGod only knows; it's anyone's call; heaven knows

秋の鹿は笛に寄るあきのしかはふえによるpeople may bring about their demise for love; it is easy to have one's weak points taken advantage of; in autumn (during mating season), deer come forth when they hear (a hunter's) whistle

積善の家には必ず余慶ありせきぜんのいえにはかならずよけいありa virtuous family enjoys long prosperity; one's good deeds shall be repaid even to one's descendants

窮すれば通ずきゅうすればつうずnecessity is the mother of invention; there is always some way out of a difficulty if you really look for one

立つ鳥跡を濁さずたつとりあとをにごさずit is simply common courtesy to clean up after yourself; a bird does not foul the nest it is about to leave; on leaving a place, one should see that all is in good order

精神一到何事か成らざらんせいしんいっとうなにごとかならざらんwhere there is a will, there is a way

継続は力なりけいぞくはちからなりperseverance makes one stronger; slow but steady wins the race

総領の甚六そうりょうのじんろくfirst born, least clever

美人は三日で飽きるびじんはみっかであきるbeauty is only skin-deep; one gets tired of a beauty in three days

美味も喉三寸びみものどさんすんgood things do not last long

羹に懲りて膾を吹くあつものにこりてなますをふくa burnt child dreads the fire; once bitten twice shy; to become overcautious from a bad experience

聞くは一時の恥、聞かぬは一生の恥きくはいっときのはじ、きかぬはいっしょうのはじbetter to ask and be embarrassed than not ask and never know

聞くは一時の恥、聞かぬは末代の恥きくはいっときのはじ、きかぬはまつだいのはじbetter to ask and be embarrassed than not ask and never know

能ある鷹は爪を隠すのうあるたかはつめをかくすa wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve; one shouldn't show off; the person who knows most often says least; a skilled hawk hides its talons

腐っても鯛くさってもたいa diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond; quality is quality; an old eagle is better than a young crow; even if it's rotten, it's still sea bream