#japanese proverbs

[tokidokitokyo]

ことわざ 17/?

ことわざ are Japanese proverbs, and I have listed some basic proverbs, their equivalents in English, and a rough translation of the meanings of the Japanese phrase.

There is a test for ことわざ called the ことわざ能力検定 (ことわざのうりょくけんてい) and these are some of the phrases that appear in level 9 or 9級 (10 being the lowest level). For the time being, try one or two of these out the next time you speak with a native Japanese speaker!

ことわざ (こと検9級): 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 More ことわざ (こと検10級): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

眉を顰める

まゆをひそめる

to furrow your brow

furrow your brow

緑の黒髪

みどりのくろかみ

lustrous black hair

black hair with a greenish sheen

身に染みる

みにしみる

to be deeply moved; to have wind/cold pierce the body

a feeling that permeates the body

身につまされる

みにつまされる

to be touched by another's plight

feel a pinch of guilt on your body

身の毛がよだつ

みのけがよだつ

hair-raising; spine-tingling

have your body's hair stand up in fear or from cold

耳が痛い

みみがいたい

hitting close to home

accurate criticism that is painful to the ear

耳が早い

みみがはやい

in the know

ears are quick to receive new information

耳に入れる

みみにいれる

to inform

put into someone's ear

耳に胼胝ができる

みみにたこができる

to hear ad nauseum

told something so much it creates calluses in your ears

耳に付く

みみにつく

irritating or annoying (sound)

a sound that sticks in the ear

耳寄りな話

みみよりなはなし

a topic of interest

talk that makes ears approach

耳を疑う

みみをうたがう

to doubt your own ears

doubt your ears

耳を貸す

みみをかす

to lend an ear

lend an ear

耳を傾ける

みみをかたむける

to listen closely

tilt your ear over to listen

耳を澄ます

みみをすます

to focus your attention (and listen)

clear out your ears

耳を揃える

みみをそろえる

to get the money together (to pay a debt)

arrange the ears (edges) of your coins

身を入れる

みをいれる

to give it your all

put in your whole body

身を切られる思い

みをきられるおもい

heartrending

a thought that cuts your body

身を削る

みをけずる

to work yourself sick

whittle away your body with work

身を粉にする

みをこにする

to work hard without complaint

work your body into powder

身を立てる

みをたてる

to make something of yourself; to make it on your own

raise up your body

胸が痛む

むねがいたむ

to feel great sympathy

chest in pain

胸が一杯になる

むねがいっぱいになる

to be overcome with emotion

chest like a cupful of joy or sadness

胸が躍る

むねがおどる

excited; psyched up

chest dancing with joy or in anticipation

胸が騒ぐ

むねがさわぐ

to feel uneasy

chest disturbing you with feeling something bad is going to happen

胸がすく

むねがすく

to be relaxed, worry-free

chest clear of worry

胸が詰まる

むねがつまる

to feel uneasy

chest stuffed with sadness or worry

胸に刻む

むねにきざむ

to take something to heart

engrave on your chest

胸を痛める

むねをいためる

to cause someone emotional distress

cause pain in another's chest

胸を打つ

むねをうつ

to touch someone's heart

strike someone's chest

胸を借りる

むねをかりる

to train with a superior

in sumo, to borrow someone's chest is to have the honor of training with them

胸を撫で下ろす

むねをなでおろす

to let out a sigh of relief

rub down your chest and let go of worries

胸を膨らませる

むねをふくらませる

to be wide-eyed and full of hope

inflate your chest with hope or joy

目から鱗が落ちる

めからうろこがおちる

to have the scales fall from your eyes

to have the scales fall from your eyes

目から鼻へ抜ける

めからはなへぬける

sharp as a tack

from a story where a craftsman enters the eye of a Buddha statue to affix the eye from inside. since he’s trapped he has the brilliant idea to escape through the nose of the statue.

目から火が出る

めからひがでる

to see stars

sparks coming out of your eyes

目が利く

めがきく

to be discerning

effective eyes

目が肥える

めがこえる

to be discerning

eyes grown fat with experience and knowledge

目頭が熱くなる

めがしらがあつくなる

to tear up with emotion

eyes and head warm with emotion

目が高い

めがたかい

to be highly discerning

so learned, it's as if your eyes are surveying from high above

目が無い

めがない

① to have no eye for something; ② to lose objectivity

① have no eye for something; ② no eye for, or blind to, reality

目が回る

めがまわる

to be extremely busy

so busy your eyes are spinning

目くじらを立てる

めくじらをたてる

to needlessly nitpick

raise up the speck in the corner of someone's eye for all to see

目糞鼻糞を笑う

めくそはなくそをわらう

the pot calling the kettle black

eye crud laughing at snot

目と鼻の先

めとはなのさき

extremely close together

as close as the space before your eye and nose

目に余る

めにあまる

to be unforgivable, unable to be overlooked

too much for your eyes to handle

目に物見せる

めにものみせる

to teach someone a lesson; to show someone what's what

show something before someone's eyes

目の色を変える

めのいろをかえる

to put on your game face

change the color of your eyes to indicate seriousness or anger

目の上の瘤

めのうえのこぶ

a thorn in your side; a pain in the butt

a person whose existence is like a lump above your eye

目の黒いうち

めのくろいうち

while you still live; while you still draw breath

while your eyes are still black (grey/white pupils indicate death)

目の毒

めのどく

something you really don't need to see right now

poison for the eyes because it will trigger craving/desire or cause discomfort

目も当てられない

めもあてられない

a sight that is too much to bear

so horrible, eyes can't hold witness to it

目もくれない

めもくれない

to completely ignore

not give an eye (attention) to something

目を疑う

めをうたがう

to not be able to believe your own eyes

doubt your eyes

目を奪われる

めをうばわれる

to be captivated

have your sight stolen and held captive by something

目を覆う

めをおおう

to cover your eyes

cover your eyes in fear

目を掛ける

めをかける

to show favoritism

place eyes upon, watch over someone

目を配る

めをくばる

to keep an eye on

distribute your gaze around the area

目を皿のようにする

めをさらのようにする

to widen one’s eyes in shock

make your eyes like plates

目を白黒させる

めをしろくろさせる

to be shocked and flustered

eyes darting so fast they look white and black

目を付ける

めをつける

to fix your gaze upon something

attach your eyes

目を盗む

めをぬすむ

to do something in secret

steal someone's eyes, act outside their vision

目を光らせる

めをひからせる

to keep careful watch

shine your gaze upon someone/something

目を引く

めをひく

to draw attention; to create a distraction

pull someone's gaze

目を細める

めをほそめる

to smile warmly

smile so that your eyes narrow

目を丸くする

めをまるくする

to open your eyes wide in shock

make your eyes round

目を見張る

めをみはる

to be impressed or moved emotionally

eyes open wide in pleasant surprise

目を剥く

めをむく

to have eyes wide in shock or anger

eyes peeled wide open

#日本語 #japanese #japanese language #japanese langblr #langblr #studyblr #ことわざ #japanese proverbs #こと検9級 #ま #ま～も #tokidokitokyo #tdtstudy

[vulpesophobia]

Lunar New Year || Rabbit Sayings

脱兎のごとし — Datto no gotoshi. “Like a fleeing rabbit” is a way of describing something extremely quick. It derives originally from advice from the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu that one should first appear to be delicate like a girl to encourage carelessness, and then act as swiftly as a speeding rabbit before the enemy is ready to respond.

うさぎに祭文 — Usagi ni saimon. In this phrase, saimon are proclamations to the gods, and “to recite saimon to a rabbit,” which cannot understand such matters, means to talk to no purpose.

うさぎの糞 — Usagi no fun. This scatological proverb is based on a “rabbit’s excrement” being expelled in short droppings, thereby referring to an action that is interrupted rather than continuous.

#Lunar New Year #Rabbits #Bunnies #Rabbit #Bunny #year of the Rabbit #Japan #Japanese Proverbs

[herowaterlam27]

Fantastic Japanese Proverb about Life | SAMURAI EDITION |

#no is a full sentence #no #is a full sentence #full #full sentence #sentence #quotes #five words sentence #funny sentence #inspirational sentence #energized sentence #sentence meme #five stars sentence #sentence games #powerful sentence #japanese #japanese quotes #japanese proverbs #japan #japanese art #kanji #japanese quote #japanese calligraphy #japanese ink calligraphy #japanese motivation quotes #motivation quotes #ink #japanese ink #japanese ink art #tshirt

[linusjf]

Japanese proverb: Great teacher

Fleeting (1 of 2) (Photo credit: Brett Jordan) “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” —Japanese proverb.

View On WordPress

#Asia #Conferences #energy #Japan #Japanese proverb #Japanese proverbs #learning #Teacher #technology

[libearyn]

You Say

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this…

View On WordPress

#believing #God&039;s love #Japanese proverbs #Lauren Daigle #Philippians 1:3-6 #self doubt #You are loved #You say

[christiancornelius]

#japan #japanese proverbs #genius

[nobrashfestivity]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Proverbs Illustrated by Cats (Tatoe zukushi no uchi), c.1852

#utagawa kuniyoshi #cats #ukiyoe #japanese art #proverbs

[nippon-com]

Japanese proverbs starring cats.

猫に小判 — Neko ni koban. The koban was a gold coin in the Edo period (1603–1868), and “giving koban to a cat” means providing something to someone who does not understand or appreciate its value, and thereby cannot benefit from it.

猫に鰹節 — Neko ni katsuobushi. Meanwhile, katsuobushi are dried bonito flakes. This phrase, meaning “placing katsuobushi alongside a cat,” imagines placing the tempting fishy treat next to the animal, and represents a dangerous situation or one where a high level of vigilance is needed.

猫の手も借りたい — Neko no te mo karitai. To say that one “even wants to borrow a cat’s paws,” despite knowing this feline companion is not going to help out very much, is a way of describing how extremely busy one is.

Among the next mixed bag of sayings are those that emphasize cats’ diminutive and cute side.

猫の額 — Neko no hitai. A “cat’s forehead” is used to refer to something that is extremely small, such as, commonly, a garden or plot of land.

猫をかぶる — Neko o kaburu. To metaphorically “put on a cat” or act like the animal is to pretend to be quiet and harmless, hiding one’s true nature. It also describes someone putting on an air of innocence.

猫も杓子も — Neko mo shakushi mo. When saying that all kinds of people were present at an event, one English phrase is “Every Tom, Dick, and Harry.” The Japanese equivalent is to say that “even cats and ladles” were there.

#cats #proverbs #Japanese

[indieyuugure]

I went through so Japanese proverbs and felt I could hear Splinter giving advice to the turtles through some of them.

Raph’s is pretty obvious, I’m pretty sure Splinter actually tells him this one. It just means to let things go. One slight isn’t the end of the world. Let insults flow off of you. They might have bumped into you and made you drop your pizza, but the water still flows.

Donnie’s I felt is really accurate as Splinter actually does give him this advice. The proverb means that sometimes, if you think about something too much, it gets harder than if you had just trusted fate to guide your feet. Don’t psych yourself out!

Leo’s I thought was a little harder since none of his problems are really outwardly addressed. I felt this one was the most accurate one as Leo, being the leader, has issues with the concept of failure and is somewhat of a perfectionist. This proverb just means everyone makes mistakes. Monkeys are amazing climbers, yet even they fall sometimes.

Mikey’s is self explanatory, if you think about things, you won’t die. Don’t be stupid. Just, ‘ya know, don’t click the huge red button with caution tape that says “DO NOT TOUCH!” It’s simple really.

#Tmnt #2k12 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles 2012 #master splinter #proverbs #2k12 donnie #2k12 raph #2k12 leo #2k12 mikey #japanese

[buchi-to-pichi]

Second installment of Pichi's Proverbs! This one's a little more complicated to write out than the last.

Download our free book to learn hiragana!

#japan #japanese #japanese language #learn japanese #nihongo #free! #japanese proverb

[tokidokitokyo]

ことわざ 16/?

ことわざ are Japanese proverbs, and I have listed some basic proverbs, their equivalents in English, and a rough translation of the meanings of the Japanese phrase.

There is a test for ことわざ called the ことわざ能力検定 (ことわざのうりょくけんてい) and these are the phrases that appear in level 9 or 9級 (10 being the lowest level). For the time being, try one or two of these out the next time you speak with a native Japanese speaker!

ことわざ (こと検9級): 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 More ことわざ (こと検10級): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

歯が浮く

はがうく

cringe-inducing

causing an uncomfortable feeling akin to a loose tooth

歯が立たない

はがたたない

to stand no chance against (opponent/challenge)

teeth cannot stand against the hardness

鼻息が荒い

はないきがあらい

expressing passion and excitement

breathing heavily through the nose

鼻が利く

はながきく

to have a knack for finding money-making opportunities

nose is effective in sniffing out money-making opportunities

鼻が高い

はながたかい

to be filled with pride

hold your nose high

鼻であしらう

はなであしらう

to treat someone with contempt

signal contempt using your nose

鼻で笑う

はなでわらう

to scoff

laugh through your nose

鼻に掛ける

はなにかける

to brag, boast or show off

hang prominently on your nose

鼻に付く

はなにつく

to become tiresome

tiresome behavior that becomes like a bad stench that sticks in your nose

鼻持ちならない

はなもちならない

to become unbearable

bad attitude/behavior likened to a stench so bad you can't stand it even when holding your nose

鼻を明かす

はなをあかす

to outwit, get the jump on, catch off guard

reveal your nose and surprise your opponent

鼻を折る

はなをおる

to take someone down a peg

break someone's nose

鼻を突く

はなをつく

putrid, rank, foul

a smell that stabs the nose

鼻を鳴らす

はなをならす

to whine in an attempt to get your way

to sound your nose

歯に衣着せぬ

はにきぬきせぬ

blunt, straightforward, without 'sugar-coating' it

without applying coating to your teeth

歯の抜けたよう

はのぬけたよう

appearing empty or deserted

like a mouth with its teeth removed

歯の根が合わない

はのねがあわない

teeth chattering from cold/fear

unable to align the base of your teeth

腹が黒い

はらがくろい

deceptive, conniving, black-hearted (also, 腹黒い)

black stomach (disposition)

腹が据わる

はらがすわる

to feel confident

have your stomach (courage) steadied

腹が立つ

はらがたつ

to get angry

have your stomach (disposition) get riled up

腹が減っては戦はできぬ

はらがへってはいくさはできぬ

you can't work on an empty stomach

you can't do battle when hungry

腹に据え兼ねる

はらにすえかねる

to have all you can stand; to be fed up

unable to settle your stomach (disposition)

腹の皮が捩れる

はらのかわがよじれる

side-splitting

makes you laugh so hard the skin of your stomach twists

腹の虫が治まらない

はらのむしがおさまらない

to have all you can stand; to be fed up

unable to settle your stomach worm (from ancient belief that Three Demonic Worms live in the head, chest and stomach and monitor the host's behavior)

腸が煮え繰り返る

はらわたがにえくりかえる

to have your blood boil

have your organs boiling repeatedly

腹を探る

はらをさぐる

to try and infer what someone is thinking/feeling

search someone's stomach (disposition)

腹を割る

はらをわる

to open up (and converse frankly)

split your stomach (emotional center) open

歯を食いしばる

はをくいしばる

to grin and bear it

bite and lock your teeth

膝を交える

ひざをまじえる

to get together for a friendly chat

sit knees crossed and chat

人の口には戸は立てられぬ

ひとのくちにとはたてられぬ

people are gonna talk

you can't erect a door over a person's mouth

一肌脱ぐ

ひとはだぬぐ

to help in any way you can

remove your top and expose your upper body skin to signal intent to get serious and help

腑に落ちない

ふにおちない

unsatisfying (conclusion or explanation)

does not fall in line with your gut (better judgment)

臍で茶を沸かす

へそでちゃをわかす

you're killing me!; that's rich!

that makes me laugh so hard, I could boil tea on my bellybutton! usually said in a mocking manner)

臍を曲げる

へそをまげる

to get cranky

hunched over grumpy making your bellybutton bend

下手な鉄砲も数撃てば当たる

へたなてっぽうもかずうてばあたる

given enough tries, anyone can succeed

even a poorly handled cannon, fired enough times will hit the mark by sheer chance

下手の考え休むに似たり

へたのかんがえやすむににたり

an idiot in thought may as well be napping

a poor attempt at thinking is the same as just resting

下手の横好き

へたのよこずき

a glutton for punishment

unskilled at something, but you insist on liking it

臍を噬む

ほぞをかむ

to regret bitterly

using the futility of trying to chew your own bellybutton as a metaphor for the futility of agonizing over the past

骨折り損の草臥れ儲け

ほねおりぞんのくたびれもうけ

a whole lot of effort for a whole lot of nothing

work til you suffer broken bones and earn only exhaustion

骨が折れる

ほねがおれる

difficult or intensive (work)

work that will break your bones

骨身を削る

ほねみをけずる

to work yourself to the bone

shave down your body and bones with work

骨を埋める

ほねをうずめる

to live out your life somewhere; to dedicate your life to a pursuit

bury your bones somewhere

骨を折る

ほねをおる

to work hard without complaint

break your bones to accomplish something or support someone

#日本語 #japanese #japanese language #japanese langblr #langblr #studyblr #ことわざ #japanese proverbs #こと検9級 #は #は～ほ #tokidokitokyo #tdtstudy

[jamelalatise]

#Japanese proverb

[nixcraft]

Old Japanese wisdom 😂

#cat #kitten #cat comic #kitty #fat cat #japanese proverb

[simpleman193]

#simple man #manliness #simple life #christian manhood #traditional gender roles #traditional manhood #chivalry #traditional man #tradblr #gentleman #warrior #inner peace #inner strength #wholeness #integrated #ideation #japanese proverb #wisdom

[secosmolhadoseafins]

WE'RE FOOLS WHETHER WE DANCE OR NOT, SO WE MIGHT AS WELL DANCE.

#japanese proverb #JAPANESE QUOTES

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

箴言 知恵の泉 10:7 正しい人のことを思い出すのは楽しいものです。 しかし悪人の名前は、思い出すだけでも不愉快です。

The names of those who do right are used in blessings. But the names of those who do wrong will rot. — Proverbs 10:7 | Japanese Living Bible (JLB) and New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Japanese Living Bible Copyright© 1978, 2011, 2016 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide and New International Reader's Version Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: 2 Chronicles 32:33; Job 18:17; Job 24:20; Psalm 9:5-6; Psalm 34:16; Psalm 109:13; Psalm 112:6; Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 8:10; Isaiah 14:22

#righteous #reputation #blessing #wicked #name #rot #Proverbs 10:7 #Book of Proverbs #JLB #Japanese Living Bible #Biblica Inc. #NIRV #New International Reader's Version