LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N3Lesson notes · Sep 26, 2026

Japanese proverbs (ことわざ) people still actually say

Japanese proverbs are called ことわざ (kotowaza). There are thousands in dictionaries, but only a few dozen come up in real conversation — things like 七転しちてんび八起やおきき ("fall seven times, get up eight"), 取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんよう ("don't count your chickens"), and 急いそがば回まわれ ("more haste, less speed"). The trick is knowing which ones people actually say, and how they say them.

Lists of "100 Japanese proverbs" are everywhere, and most of them are full of sayings that no one under seventy has used out loud. That is not useful if you want to talk. This article is the opposite: a short list, grouped by the situations where proverbs really come up — money, effort, mistakes and life — with notes on tone. Almost all of them are used half-jokingly, which is the part the lists never tell you.

The basics

What is a ことわざ?

A ことわざ is a traditional saying with a lesson in it: advice, a warning, or an observation about people. It is different from a 慣用句かんようく (kan'youku), an idiom that just has a figurative meaning, like 顔かおが広ひろい "to know a lot of people." For the idioms, see Japanese idioms (慣用句かんようく). For four-kanji sayings like 一石二鳥いっせきにちょう, see 四よ字じ熟語じゅくご.

How do people use proverbs in conversation?

Usually as a short, slightly playful comment on what someone just said. You rarely say the full proverb as a sentence; you drop it in, often with まさに ("exactly") or って感かんじ ("kind of like").

まさに急いそがば回まわれだね。 — That's exactly "more haste, less speed." (casual) それ、取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんようじゃない? — Aren't you counting your chickens? (casual, teasing)

Using one well sounds witty. Using five in a row sounds like a textbook.

Beyond the basics

Which proverbs are about money?

Money is where proverbs are used most, usually as a joke about someone's plans.

  • 取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんよう (toranu tanuki no kawazan'you) — "calculating the price of the pelt of a raccoon dog you haven't caught." Don't count your chickens before they hatch. It comes up the moment someone starts spending lottery winnings before the draw.
  • 塵ちりも積つもれば山やまとなる (chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru) — "even dust, piled up, becomes a mountain." Small amounts add up. Used for saving coins, or for studying ten minutes a day.
  • 安物買やすものがいの銭失ぜにうしない (yasumono-gai no zeni-ushinai) — "buy cheap, lose money." Cheap things cost more in the end.
  • 猫ねこに小判こばん (neko ni koban) — "gold coins to a cat." Giving something valuable to someone who cannot appreciate it. Close to "pearls before swine," but gentler and often self-deprecating.

宝たからくじが当あたったら車くるまを買かうって?取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんようだよ。 — You'll buy a car when you win the lottery? You're counting your chickens. (casual, teasing) 毎日まいにち百円ひゃくえんでも、塵ちりも積つもれば山やまとなるよ。 — Even 100 yen a day adds up. (casual)

Which proverbs are about perseverance?

These are the ones people say sincerely — to encourage someone, or in a speech.

  • 七転しちてんび八起やおきき (nanakorobi yaoki) — "fall seven times, get up eight." Keep going after failure.
  • 石いしの上うえにも三年さんねん (ishi no ue ni mo san-nen) — "even a cold stone gets warm if you sit on it for three years." Patience pays off. Often said about a new job.
  • 継続けいぞくは力ちからなり (keizoku wa chikara nari) — "continuing is strength." A favorite in schools, and a good one for language learners.

失敗しっぱいしても大丈夫だいじょうぶ。七転しちてんび八起やおききだよ。 — It's fine if you fail. Fall seven times, get up eight. (casual, encouraging) 日本語にほんごの勉強べんきょうは、継続けいぞくは力ちからなりですね。 — With Japanese, consistency is what counts. (polite)

Which proverbs are about mistakes?

  • 猿さるも木きから落おちる (saru mo ki kara ochiru) — "even monkeys fall from trees." Even experts make mistakes. Said to comfort a friend or peer who slipped up — or about yourself. Not to someone senior.
  • 弘法ひろのりも筆ふでの誤あやまり (koubou mo fude no ayamari) — "even the great calligrapher Kōbō makes mistakes with his brush." Same meaning, a little more literary.
  • 口くちは災わざわいの元もと (kuchi wa wazawai no moto) — "the mouth is the source of disaster." Careless words cause trouble.

あの人ひとでもミスするんだね。猿さるも木きから落おちる、だね。 — So even she makes mistakes. Even monkeys fall from trees. (casual, about a peer or yourself)

Which proverbs are about life and people?

  • 急いそがば回まわれ (isogaba maware) — "if you're in a hurry, go around." The safe, longer way is faster in the end.
  • 百聞ひゃくぶんは一見いっけんに如しかず (hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu) — "hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once." Seeing is believing. Travel ads love it.
  • 井いの中なかの蛙かえる大海たいかいを知しらず (i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu) — "a frog in a well does not know the ocean." Someone with a narrow view. Usually shortened to 井いの中なかの蛙かえる.
  • 郷さとに入はいっては郷さとに従したがえ (gou ni itte wa gou ni shitagae) — "when you enter a village, follow its customs." When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Useful for visitors.
  • 知しらぬが仏ほとけ (shiranu ga hotoke) — "not knowing is Buddha." Ignorance is bliss.
  • 出でる杭くいは打うたれる (deru kui wa utareru) — "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Standing out invites criticism. Often quoted about Japanese society, sometimes too often.

百聞ひゃくぶんは一見いっけんに如しかず。一度いちど、秋葉原あきはばらに行いってみて。 — Seeing is believing. Go to Akihabara once and see for yourself. (casual)

What is 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう?

Here is a modern twist. The traditional ideal is 不言ふげん実行じっこう (fugen jikkou): "act without words" — do the work quietly, don't announce it. In recent decades people flipped it into 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう (yuugen jikkou): "say it, then do it." Announce your goal and follow through. Both are four-kanji compounds rather than classical ことわざ, but they come up in the same conversations, especially about plans.

有言実行ゆうげんじっこうで、来年らいねんN2に受うかります! — I'm saying it out loud: I'll pass N2 next year! (polite, determined)

Someone who quietly trains for a marathon without telling anyone is 不言ふげん実行じっこう. Someone who tells everyone first had better be 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう.

Do anime characters use proverbs?

Yes, and usually with a twist. A character will start a proverb and change the ending for a joke, or an older character will use one to sound wise. 猿さるも木きから落おちる, 七転しちてんび八起やおきき and 急いそがば回まわれ are the ones you are most likely to hear. When a character gets one wrong on purpose, the joke only works if you know the original.

Common mistakes

  • Using rare proverbs from lists. Many sound archaic. Stick to the ones here.
  • Saying the proverb as a full, serious sentence. Most are dropped in lightly: まさに〜だね.
  • Using 猿さるも木きから落おちる to someone senior. It compares them to a monkey and judges their skill. Use it about peers or yourself.
  • Using 猫ねこに小判こばん about someone to their face. It implies they cannot appreciate something. Use it about yourself.
  • Mixing up ことわざ and 四よ字じ熟語じゅくご. 七転しちてんび八起やおきき is a proverb; 一石二鳥いっせきにちょう is a four-kanji compound. People mix them too, but the words are different.
  • Using 出でる杭くいは打うたれる as a fact about Japan. It is a saying, not a rule. Many Japanese people push back on it.

Japanese proverbs at a glance

Proverb Literal Meaning Tone
取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんよう pelt of an uncaught tanuki don't count your chickens teasing
塵ちりも積つもれば山やまとなる dust piles into a mountain small amounts add up encouraging
猫ねこに小判こばん gold coins to a cat wasted on someone self-deprecating
七転しちてんび八起やおきき fall 7, rise 8 never give up sincere
石いしの上うえにも三年さんねん 3 years on a stone patience pays off sincere
猿さるも木きから落おちる monkeys fall from trees experts err too comforting
急いそがば回まわれ in a hurry, go around more haste, less speed advice
百聞ひゃくぶんは一見いっけんに如しかず see once > hear 100 seeing is believing neutral
郷さとに入はいっては郷さとに従したがえ follow the village when in Rome advice
知しらぬが仏ほとけ not knowing is Buddha ignorance is bliss wry

Practice

Answers are hidden — try your own sentence first, then open. Questions 1 and 2 are a pair: one proverb teases, the other encourages.

1. A friend plans how to spend lottery winnings before the draw. Tease them.

Show answer

取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんようじゃない? — spending money you don't have yet is exactly the uncaught tanuki.

2. A friend failed an exam and wants to quit. Encourage them.

Show answer

七転しちてんび八起やおききだよ。 — sincere encouragement to get back up after failing.

3. A friend who always cooks well burns the dinner. Comfort them.

Show answer

猿さるも木きから落おちるって言いうし、気きにしないで。 — even experts slip. Keep it among friends; to someone senior it sounds like you are grading them.

4. "Saving 100 yen a day adds up."

Show answer

毎日まいにち百円ひゃくえんでも、塵ちりも積つもれば山やまとなる。 — small amounts piling up into something big.

5. You took a shortcut, got lost, and arrived late. What proverb fits?

Show answer

急いそがば回まわれ — the safe route would have been faster in the end.

6. Someone gives you an expensive wine, but you can't tell good wine from bad. Joke about yourself.

Show answer

私わたしには猫ねこに小判こばんだね。 — use it about yourself, not about the other person.

7. Announce your goal: "I'm saying it now — I'll finish this by Friday."

Show answer

有言実行ゆうげんじっこうで、金曜日きんようびまでに終おわらせます。 — 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう means you say it and then do it.

8. A visitor asks whether to follow local rules they find strange. What proverb answers them?

Show answer

郷さとに入はいっては郷さとに従したがえ — when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

9. What is the difference between 不言ふげん実行じっこう and 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう?

Show answer

不言ふげん実行じっこう = do it without announcing it; 有言実行ゆうげんじっこう = announce it, then do it. — the second is a modern flip of the first.

Pick a proverb such as 七転しちてんび八起やおきき and use it in a trial lesson to comment on something that happened to you this week.

FAQ

What is the most famous Japanese proverb? There is no single answer, but 猿さるも木きから落おちる, 七転しちてんび八起やおきき and 出でる杭くいは打うたれる are the ones most learners meet first, and all three are still used.

What is a Japanese proverb about money? 取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんよう (don't count your chickens), 塵ちりも積つもれば山やまとなる (small amounts add up) and 安物買やすものがいの銭失ぜにうしない (buy cheap, pay twice).

What is a Japanese proverb about perseverance? 七転しちてんび八起やおきき, 石いしの上うえにも三年さんねん and 継続けいぞくは力ちからなり. The last one is a good motto for studying Japanese.

Is 一期一会いちごいちえ a proverb? It is a 四よ字じ熟語じゅくご, a four-kanji compound, meaning "one time, one meeting" — treasure each encounter. It is often listed with proverbs, and it is covered in the 四よ字じ熟語じゅくご article.

Should I learn proverbs as a beginner? Not many. Two or three that you like are plenty, and they are great for surprising people. Grammar and everyday words come first — see hiragana, katakana and kanji: what order to learn for where to start.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

ことわざ	ことわざ — proverb
取らぬ狸の皮算用	とらぬたぬきのかわざんよう — don't count your chickens
塵も積もれば山となる	ちりもつもればやまとなる — small amounts add up
安物買いの銭失い	やすものがいのぜにうしない — buy cheap, pay twice
猫に小判	ねこにこばん — wasted on someone
七転び八起き	ななころびやおき — fall seven times, get up eight
石の上にも三年	いしのうえにもさんねん — patience pays off
継続は力なり	けいぞくはちからなり — consistency is strength
猿も木から落ちる	さるもきからおちる — even experts make mistakes
急がば回れ	いそがばまわれ — more haste, less speed
百聞は一見に如かず	ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず — seeing is believing
郷に入っては郷に従え	ごうにいってはごうにしたがえ — when in Rome
知らぬが仏	しらぬがほとけ — ignorance is bliss
有言実行	ゆうげんじっこう — say it, then do it
不言実行	ふげんじっこう — act without words

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. Proverbs usually come up in lessons by accident — someone describes a plan, and 取とらぬ狸たぬきの皮算用かわざんよう is the perfect reply. Learners remember the ones they hear at the right moment far better than any list, so pick two from this page and wait for your chance to use them.

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Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

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