Kotowaza
A curated anthology of traditional Japanese proverbs.
七転び八起き
(Nana korobi ya oki)
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
猿も木から落ちる
(Saru mo ki kara ochiru)
“Even monkeys fall from trees.”
三日坊主
(Mikka bōzu)
“A three-day monk.”
継続は力なり
(Keizoku wa chikara nari)
“Continuity is strength.”
一期一会
(Ichi-go ichi-e)
“One time, one meeting.”
千里の道も一歩から
(Senri no michi mo ippo kara)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
知らぬが仏
(Shiranu ga hotoke)
“Not knowing is Buddha.”
井の中の蛙大海を知らず
(I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu)
“A frog in a well knows nothing of the great ocean.”
失敗は成功の基
(Shippai wa seikō no moto)
“Failure is the foundation of success.”
言わぬが花
(Iwanu ga hana)
“Not speaking is the flower.”
急がば回れ
(Isogaba maware)
“If you are in a hurry, take the roundabout way.”
出る杭は打たれる
(Deru kui wa utareru)
“The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.”
百聞は一見にしかず
(Hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu)
“Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.”
雨降って地固まる
(Ame futte ji katamaru)
“After the rain, the ground hardens.”
塵も積もれば山となる
(Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru)
“Even dust, when piled up, becomes a mountain.”
聞くは一時の恥、聞かぬは一生の恥
(Kiku wa ijji no haji, kikanu wa isshō no haji)
“To ask is a moment's shame; not to ask is a lifetime's shame.”
覆水盆に返らず
(Fukusui bon ni kaerazu)
“Spilt water will not return to the tray.”
花より団子
(Hana yori dango)
“Dumplings rather than flowers.”
案ずるより産むが易し
(Anzuru yori umu ga yasashi)
“Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it.”
自業自得
(Jigō jitoku)
“One's own work, one's own reward.”