Japanese Proverbs (Kotowaza): Meanings and Examples

Japanese proverbs can be tiny scenes that refuse to stay tiny: a monkey slipping from a tree, rain firming the ground, or a cat unimpressed by a gold coin. In Japanese, these sayings are called kotowaza (諺). Their images do much of the work, so a literal translation is often only the beginning.

This list keeps the Japanese, a romaji reading, and a plain-English explanation together. Some sayings have close English counterparts; others are better read as a Japanese image with its own shade of advice.

Japanese Proverbs and Their Meanings

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毒を食らわば皿まで
Doku wo kurawaba sara made 

• Literally: If you eat poison, eat the plate;
• Meaning: Once you have begun something dangerous or morally dubious, stopping halfway may not spare you its consequences.

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見ぬが花
Minu ga hana 

• Literally: Not seeing is a flower;
• Meaning: Reality cannot compete with imagination. Sometimes you imagine things without seeing their reality;

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案ずるより産むが易し.
Anzuru yori umu ga yasushi 

• Literally: Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it;
• Meaning: Fear is greater than danger. Sometimes an attempt is easier than we expect. Many are afraid for no reason, that is the greatest Enemy;

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バカは 死ななきゃ 治らない
Baka wa shinanakya naoranai 

• Literally: Only death cures an idiot;
• Meaning: There is no cure for stupidity;

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出る杭は打たれる
Deru kui wa utareru 

• Literally: The nail that sticks up is hammered down;
• Meaning: If you stand out, you will be subject to criticism;

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秋茄子は嫁に食わすな
Akinasu wa yome ni kuwasuna 

• Literally: Do not let your daughter-in-law eat your eggplants;
• Note: This old saying has several interpretations. A common reading is that autumn eggplants are too prized to give away; its wording should not be treated as advice for modern family life.

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 残り物には福がある
Nokorimono ni wa fuku ga aru 

• Literally: Fortune exists in leftovers. / There is a fortune for leftovers;
• Meaning: Saving the best for last. Just because it is behind does not mean it is bad. It is often used to comfort people and help them strive;

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 虎穴に入らずんば 虎子 を 得ず
Koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu

• Literally: If you do not enter the tiger's den, you cannot catch its cub;
• Meaning: Take a risk to be successful. Nothing is achieved without effort;

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さるも木から落ちる
Saru mo ki kara ochiru 

• Literally: The monkey also falls from the tree
• Meaning: Even an expert can make mistakes;

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 泣いて暮らすも一生、笑って暮らすも一生
Naite kurasu mo issho, waratte kurasu mo issho

• Literally: Living a life crying, living a life laughing;
• Meaning: Life is the same, whether you are happy or sad;

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 蓼食う虫も好き好き
Tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki

• Literally: Insects that eat tade (a weed) also do so out of preference;
• Meaning: Taste is subjective;

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井の中の蛙大海を知らず
I no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu 

• Literally: The frog in the well does not know the ocean;
• Meaning: You only know something by experiencing it. Perfect for those who criticize other countries without knowing them;

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 鳶が鷹を生む
Tonbi ga taka o umu 

• Literally: From a kite, a hawk is born
• Meaning: Common parents can have extraordinary children.

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郷に入りては郷に従え
Gō ni itte wa, gō ni shitagae 

• Literally: Upon entering the village, obey those who live there;
• Meaning: Adapt to the customs of the place you have entered.
• Equivalent: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

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 頭隠して尻隠さず
Atama kakushite, shiri kakusazu 

• Literally: Hides the head but does not cover the tail;
• Meaning: Trying to hide one part of a mistake while leaving the rest obvious.

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花よりだんご
Hana yori dango 

• Literally: Before flowers, food;
• Meaning: Practicality;
• It makes sense, the person goes to a Hanami festival, and instead of looking at the flowers, they go to eat sweets at the stalls;

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 悪妻は百年の不作
Akusai wa hyaku-nen no fusaku 

• Literally: A bad wife harms the harvest for a hundred years;
• Note: This is an old, sexist proverb about a “bad wife” bringing long misfortune. It is more useful today as an example of historical attitudes than as a judgment to repeat.

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 かえるの子はかえる
Kaeru no ko wa kaeru. 

• Literally: The offspring of the frog is a frog;
• Equivalent: Like father, like son;

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覆水盆に帰らず
Fukusui bon ni kaerazu 

• Literally: Spilled water does not return to the bowl.
  Meaning: Nothing will be as before. It is no use crying over spilled milk;

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 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず
Ni usagi wo ou mono wa ichi usagi wo mo ezu 

• Literally: If you chase two hares, you end up with none;
• Equivalent: You can't have it all;

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継続は力なり
Keizoku wa chikara nari. 

• Literally: Perseverance brings power;

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猫に小判
Neko ni koban 

• Literally: A coin to a cat;
• Equivalent: Pearls before swine;

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雨降って地固まる
Ame futte chi katamaru 

• Literally: The rain hardens the earth;
• Meaning: Adversity makes us stronger. Equivalent: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger;

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 馬鹿があって利口が引き立つ
Baka ga atte rikō ga hikitatsu 

• Literally: Power stands out when among fools;
• Meaning: The presence of fools highlights that of the wise;

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 馬鹿も一芸
Baka mo ichi gei 

• Literally: Fools also have talent;
• Meaning: Do not underestimate even the foolish;

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 悪に強ければ善にも強し
Aku ni tsuyokereba zen ni mo tsuyoshi

• Literally: The effort put into doing evil is the same as that which can be used for good;
• Meaning: The same perseverance in doing harm can be used to do good. A strong enemy can become a friend with the same intensity;

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金は火で試み人は酒で試む
Kane wa hi de kokoromi, hito wa sake de kokoromu

• Literally: Gold is tested by fire, people by alcohol;
• Meaning: It speaks about the superstition that drunkenness reveals people's true nature;

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 相手のない喧嘩はできぬ
Aite no nai kenka wa dekinu 

• Literally: You cannot fight alone;
• Meaning: When one does not want to, two do not fight;

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悪事千里をはしる
Akuji senri o hashiru 

• Literally: Evil travels fast;
• Equivalent: Bad news travels quickly. Gossip does too;

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 朝起きは七つの得あり
Asaoki wa nanatsu no toku ari

• Literally: Waking up early has seven advantages;
• Equivalent: The early bird catches the worm;

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 明日は明日、今日は今日
Ashita wa ashita, kyo wa kyou 

• Literally: Tomorrow is tomorrow, today is today
• Meaning: One day at a time. Do not overthink tomorrow;

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 痘痕も笑窪
Abata mo ekubo

• Literally: Warts become dimples
• Equivalent: Love is blind

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 一を聞いて十を知る
Ichi o kiite, juu o shiru 

• Literally: Hear one, understand ten
• Equivalent: A word to the wise is enough;

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 家ほどいい所ない
Uchi hodo ii tokoro nai 

• Literally: There is no better place than our home
• Equivalent: Home sweet home

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 海のことは漁夫に問え
Umi no koto wa gyofu ni to e

• Literally: Ask the fisherman about the sea
• Meaning: Ask people about something they are knowledgeable about;

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 男心と秋の空
Otokogokoro to aki no sora 

• Literally: A man's heart changes like the autumn sky;
• Meaning: Men are fickle;

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 男は知恵、女は情け
Otoko wa chie, onna wa nasake 

• Literally: The man has wisdom, the woman has compassion;