Top 50 Japanese Proverbs (2025 Update)

1. “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”

— Japanese Proverb

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2. “Even dust, if piled up, will become a mountain.”

— Japanese Proverb

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3. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

— Japanese Proverb

4. “Perseverance is strength.”

— Japanese Proverb

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5. “The smart hawk hides its talons.”

— Japanese Proverb

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6. “Experience nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.”

— Japanese Proverb

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7. “One kind word can warm three winter months.”

— Japanese Proverb

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8. “A frog in a well knows nothing of the sea.”

— Japanese Proverb

9. “A frog in a well does not know the great ocean.”

— Japanese Proverb

10. “Time flies like an arrow.”

— Japanese Proverb

11. “The eyes are the mirror of the soul.”

— Japanese Proverb

12. “The winds of tomorrow will blow tomorrow.”

— Japanese Proverb

13. “If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.”

— Japanese Proverb

14. “Who chases two rabbits catches neither.”

— Japanese Proverb

15. “If a fish cares for water, the water will care for the fish.”

— Japanese Proverb

16. “Good fortune and happiness will come into the house of those who smile.”

— Japanese Proverb

17. “To continue and preserve is power.”

— Japanese Proverb

18. “Everyone makes mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.”

— Japanese Proverb

19. “Wherever you live, you come to love it.”

— Japanese Proverb

20. “One man’s fault is another’s lesson.”

— Japanese Proverb

21. “The water flows.”

— Japanese Proverb

22. “The mouth is the source of disaster.”

— Japanese Proverb

23. “Self-work, self-profit.”

— Japanese Proverb

24. “Even monkeys fall from trees.”

— Japanese Proverb

25. “When it rains, earth hardens.”

— Japanese Proverb

26. “With hardship comes pleasure, and with pleasure comes hardship.”

— Japanese Proverb

27. “The nail that sticks out is struck.”

— Japanese Proverb

28. “A samurai, even when he has not eaten, uses his toothpick.”

— Japanese Proverb

29. “Even a fool has at least one talent.”

— Japanese Proverb

30. “Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon.”

— Japanese Proverb

31. “Luck exists in the leftovers.”

— Japanese Proverb

32. “The presence of fools, makes wise people stand out.”

— Japanese Proverb

33. “There are hardships and there are delights.”

— Japanese Proverb

34. “Two bodies, same heart.”

— Japanese Proverb

35. “Overturned water doesn’t return to the tray.”

— Japanese Proverb

36. “Even sea bream is not delicious when eaten in loneliness.”

— Japanese Proverb

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

— Japanese Proverb

38. “Only a fool deals with a fool.”

— Japanese Proverb

39. “An apprentice near a temple will recite the scriptures untaught.”

— Japanese Proverb

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

— Japanese Proverb

41. “There’s no accounting for taste. To each his own.”

— Japanese Proverb

42. “There’s no medicine for falling in love.”

— Japanese Proverb

43. “Country is in ruins, and there are still mountains and rivers.”

— Japanese Proverb

44. “When three people meet, wisdom is exchanged.”

— Japanese Proverb

45. “Bad causes, bad result.”

— Japanese Proverb

46. “You can’t fight without an opponent.”

— Japanese Proverb

47. “One cannot quarrel without an opponent.”

— Japanese Proverb

48. “Not seeing is a flower.”

— Japanese Proverb

49. “Entering the village, obey the village.”

— Japanese Proverb

50. “A bee to a crying face.”

— Japanese Proverb