Japanese Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings

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“People judge things by their own experience, not knowing of the wide world outside.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Wherever you live, you come to love it.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Fall down seven times, get up eight times.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Even monkeys fall from trees.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Even a fool has at least one talent.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Ten people, ten colors.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Experience nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“To overcome a desperate situation, make a complete turn in one sudden burst.”
– Japanese Proverb

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” Everyone makes mistakes.
Nobody’s perfect.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“There’s no accounting for taste.
To each his own.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“One stone, two birds.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“A bee to a crying face.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Overturned water doesn’t return to the tray.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“A frog in a well does not know the great ocean.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“Who chases two rabbits catches neither.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“To continue and preserve is power.”
– Japanese Proverb

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“There are hardships and there are delights..”
– Japanese Proverb

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“The smart hawk hides its talons..”
– Japanese Proverb

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Japanese Expressions and Sayings

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“Luck exists in the leftovers.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Even sea bream is not delicious when eaten in loneliness.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Spilt water will not return to the tray.”
– Japanese Expression

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“A samurai, even when he has not eaten, uses his toothpick.”
– Japanese Expression

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“A kite breeding a hawk.”
– Japanese Expression

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“An apprentice near a temple will recite the scriptures untaught.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Clear sky, cultivate, rainy, read.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Country is in ruins, and there are still mountains and rivers.”
– Japanese Expression

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“The presence of fools, makes wise people stand out.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Entering the village, obey the village.”
– Japanese Expression

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“Even a fool has one talent.”
– Japanese Expression

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“One cannot quarrel without an opponent.”
– Japanese Expression

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“The eyes are the mirror of the soul.”
– Japanese Expression

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Japanese Proverbs and Sayings

Japan

Country: Japan
Japanese: 日本国
Capital: Tokyo
National Foundation: 660 BCE
Meiji Constitution: 1890
Current constitution: 1947
Population: 126 million

Japanese Language

About 128 million people speak Japanese. Little is known of the language’s prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan.

During the Heian period (794–1185), the Chinese language influenced the Old Japanese language.

During the late Middle Japanese (1185–1600), changes in the language brought it closer to its current modern language.

Following the end of Japan’s self-imposed isolation in 1853, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly.

Japanese Sayings

Japanese Proverbs

A Japanese proverb may take the form of:

a short saying
an idiomatic phrase, or
a four-character idiom

To be considered a proverb, a word or phrase must express a common truth or wisdom.

Japanese commonly use proverbs, often citing just the first part of common phrases for brevity.

The employment of proverbs enables the Japanese language to be concise.

As traditional Japanese culture was tied to agriculture, many Japanese proverbs are derived from agricultural customs and practices.

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Japanese proverbs full of wisdom

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Japanese Sayings

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“Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it.”
– Japanese Sayings

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“As the cherry blossom is considered foremost among flowers, so the warrior is foremost among men.”
– Japanese Sayings

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“Not knowing is Buddha.”
– Japanese Sayings

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“The stake that sticks up gets hammered down.”
– Japanese Sayings

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Japanese Idiomatic Phrases

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“Gold coins to a cat.”
– Japanese Idiomatic Phrases

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” Even monkeys fall from trees.”
– Japanese Idiomatic Phrases

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Japanese Four-character idioms

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” Ten people, ten colors.”
– Japanese Four-character idioms

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“The weak are meat; the strong eat.”
– Japanese Four-character idioms

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Japanese Proverbs

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“Even a fool has one talent.”
– Japanese Proverb

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Photo Credit: Mark Bucayan / CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0); Suicasmo / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

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Japanese Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings

Japanese Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings

Japanese Expressions and Sayings