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Idiomatic Expressions
Common Japanese idioms for natural speech.
七転び八起き
Fall seven times stand up eight — perseverance
nana korobi ya oki
花より団子
Dumplings over flowers — practical over aesthetic
hana yori dango
猿も木から落ちる
Even monkeys fall from trees — experts make mistakes
saru mo ki kara ochiru
出る杭は打たれる
The nail that sticks up gets hammered down
deru kui wa utareru
一石二鳥
One stone two birds — kill two birds with one stone
isseki nichou
急がば回れ
Hurry and take the roundabout — more haste less speed
isogaba maware
百聞は一見にしかず
Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once
hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu
Seeing is believing
石の上にも三年
Sit on a stone for three years — patience brings results
ishi no ue ni mo san nen
継続は力なり
Continuation is power — practice makes perfect
keizoku wa chikara nari
知らぬが仏
Not knowing is Buddha — ignorance is bliss
shiranu ga hotoke
時は金なり
Time is money
toki wa kane nari
案ずるより産むが易し
Giving birth is easier than worrying about it
anzuru yori umu ga yasushi
Don't worry, just do it
