Tag Archives: Iroha karuta

When the bones are bad

Posted on December 1, 2019 by

…the rest is needed 骨折り損の草臥れ儲け (Honeori zon no kutabire mouke; “Bone-breaking loss and a profit of weariness”) Definition: Working hard without any reward. Bone-breaking labor with no fruits but exhaustion. A wasted effort or thankless task. Breakdown: It turns out … Continue reading →

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Kenshi’s gambit

Posted on August 25, 2019 by

背に腹は代えられぬ (Se ni hara wa kaerarenu; “The belly can’t take the place of the back”) Definition: If something is vitally important, than other things may need to be sacrificed on its behalf, even if they are also important in their … Continue reading →

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Like an agate in the rough?

Posted on April 28, 2019 by

Or gold, silver, seashell, pearl, carnelian… 瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば光る (Ruri mo hari mo teraseba hikaru; “Lapis and quartz both shine if illuminated”) Definition: People of good character or exceptional ability will stand out and reveal their worth no matter where they go … Continue reading →

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And now you understand 90% of every samurai movie

Posted on October 1, 2018 by

武士は食わねど高楊枝 (Bushi wa kuwanedo takayouji; “Even a warrior who hasn’t eaten uses a toothpick”) Definition: A destitute warrior who hasn’t eaten nonetheless acting like they have, in order to avoid revealing weakness to any potential enemies. By extension, putting on … Continue reading →

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Paul Ryan’s next plan for American health care

Posted on June 3, 2018 by

Nah, it would still cost rich people a bit of money. 二階から目薬 (Nikai kara megusuri; “Eye medicine from the second floor”) Definition: A frustrating situation where things don’t go as you want. Alternately, a roundabout way of doing things that … Continue reading →

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The sunny ant of the high seas

Posted on April 29, 2018 by

待てば海路の日和あり (Mateba kairo no hiyori ari; “If you wait, there will be ideal weather on the sea-routes”) Definition: Good things come to those who wait. Do your best to endure when things are bad, because they will get better. Even … Continue reading →

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Cheap is dear, but deer don’t cheep

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

For those counting, this is the 200th kotowaza! To celebrate, we’re… doing nothing special! 安物買いの銭失い (Yasumonogai no zeniushinai; “Losing money by buying cheap”) Definition: Especially cheap things tend to be poorly made; they fail to perform their functions properly, or … Continue reading →

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Hearing is dreaming, seeing is believing?

Posted on August 14, 2017 by

Speech is silver, experience is lead 聞いて極楽見て地獄 (Kiite gokuraku mite jigoku; “Hearing is heaven, seeing is hell”) Definition: When you only hear about something second-hand it may sound amazing, but experiencing it personally is another matter. Use this saying in … Continue reading →

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Out of mouth, out of mind

Posted on July 23, 2017 by

喉元過ぎれば熱さを忘れる (Nodomoto sugireba atsusa wo wasureru; “To forget the heat after swallowing”) Definition: No matter how painful a situation was, the pain – or alternately, the debts owed to people who helped out when times were bad – are quickly … Continue reading →

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Paradox!

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

See also 急がば回れ 負けるが勝ち (Makeru ga kachi; “Losing is winning.”) Definition: No, this isn’t some Orwellian doublespeak. It means that there are times when granting your opponent a win can be advantageous for you in the long run. Avoiding conflict … Continue reading →

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