Japanese Sayings ⛩️🍣🍡 in 2025

Saru mo ki kara ochiru
”Even monkeys fall from trees.”

Ippai-me wa hito sake o nomi, nihai-me wa sake sake o nomi, sanbai-me wa sake hito o nomu.
”With the first glass a man drinks wine, with the second glass the wine drinks the wine, with the third glass the wine drinks the man.”

Susumitsudukete sae ireba, osoku tomo kankei nai.
”It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

neko ni koban
”Gold coins to a cat.”

Mizukara boketsu o horu.
”To dig one’s grave”

Watashi no musuko wa, kare ga tsuma ni naru made wa watashi no musukodesuga, watashi no musume wa shōgai zutto watashi no musumedesu.
”My son is my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter’s my daughter all the days of her life.”

Fukushū no tabi ni deru mae ni, 2tsu no haka o hotte kudasai.
”Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”

Ame futte ji katamaru.
”Rained on ground hardens (Adversity builds character).”

Hotoke no kao mo san-do made.
”Even the Buddha’s face, only until the third [slap], meaning even the most mild-mannered person will lose his/her temper eventually.”

Tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki
”There are even bugs that eat knotweed.”

Koji ma Oshi.
”Good things, many devils.”

Mezasubeki tokoro ni, chikamichi wa sonzai shinai.
”There are no short cuts to any place worth going.”

nanakorobi yaoki
”Stumbling seven times but recovering eight.”

Muri ga toreba, dori hikkomu.
”If unreason comes, reason goes.”

Otto ga ie ni inai toki wa nagaku taizai shinaide kudasai.
”Don’t stay long when the husband is not at home.”

Nihonshu wa hontō no kokoro o akiraka ni shimasu.
”Sake reveals the real heart.”

Akusai wa hyaku-nen no fusaku
”A bad wife spells a hundred years of bad harvest.”

Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau.
”Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice inside the ceiling laugh”