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Category Archives: Kotowaza
From out of the mouth of me, I grab at thee
喉から手が出る (Nodo kara te ga deru; “A hand comes from the throat”) Definition: To want something very, very much; so much that you can hardly stand it. This imaginative metaphor compares desire to physical appetite, and pictures a hunger so … Continue reading
Frog and more frog
One more kotowaza for the frogs. It’ll be something different next week, I promise. 蛙の子は蛙 (Kaeru no ko wa kaeru; “A frog’s child is a frog”) Definition: “Like father, like son.” “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” The … Continue reading
Frog, like honey badger, just don’t care
Another frog kotowaza! Because… I don’t know why. Don’t let it bother you. 蛙の面に水 (Kaeru no tsura ni mizu; “Water in a frog’s face”) Definition: Not being bothered by things at all. No matter what happens, keeping one’s composure, or … Continue reading
Big frog, small pond
A kotowaza to encourage exploration and growth. 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu; “The frog in the well knows not the great ocean.”) Definition: A frog at the bottom of a well may look up and see … Continue reading
On how to make a mountain
A variation on a theme: 塵も積もれば山となる (Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru; “Even dust, if it builds up, becomes a mountain”) Definition: Small things, allowed to accumulate, become large. Multiple sources reference the English saying “Many a little makes a … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged accumulate, dust, Iroha karuta, Japanese, mountain, 塵も, 山となる
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The good kind of erosion?
A kotowaza for students in the new semester: 雨垂れ石を穿つ (Amadare ishi wo ugatsu; “Raindrops drill through stone”) Definition: Mere drips of rainwater, falling from the eaves of a house, again and again in the same spot, will wear a hole in … Continue reading
A silver lining, at ground level
雨降って地固まる (Ame futte ji katamaru; “The rain falls, and the earth hardens”) Definition: Before the rain, soil may be loose and crumbly. When the rain falls, it turns the ground soft and muddy. But after the rain has ended and … Continue reading
Nothing like a camel and a needle, though
瓢箪から駒が出る (Hyoutan kara koma ga deru; “A horse from a gourd”) Definition: Used to describe something that is completely unexpected, or something that was suggested as possible at least half-jokingly, but which actually comes to pass. Note that this can’t … Continue reading
…and fruit flies like a banana?
This is one of my more favorite and more commonly quoted kotowaza. I’m not sure how it took me so long to get around to it. Time flies, I guess. 8^D 光陰矢の如し(Kouin ya no gotoshi; “Light and shadow are like … Continue reading
Not the monkey’s paw; that’s very different
A new semester will be beginning soon. (Wish me luck in keeping up with my posting schedule!) Recently I went to a welcome lunch for the new Masters students in our department. One, from China, told me about a Chinese … Continue reading
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