useful Japanese proverbs?

Answer 1

Here are a bunch of good ones for you:

Japanese Proverbs

Saru mono hibi ni utoshi
Out of sight, out of mind

Sawaranu kami ni tatari nashi
Let sleeping dogs lie

Seishin ittou nanigoto ka narazaran
Where there's a will there's a way

Kon'ya no shiro bakama.
The shoemaker's children go barefoot.

Saru mo ki kara ochiru.
Anyone can make a mistake.

Go ni itte wa go si shitagae
When in Rome do as the Romans.

Hstake kara hamaguri wa torenu.
You can't get blood from a stone.

Sendo uko shite fune yama ni noboru.
Too many cooks spoil the soup.

Seite wa koto wo shisonjiru
Haste makes waste

Shiranu ga hotoke
Ignorance is bliss

Shoujiki wa saizen no saku
Honesty is the best policy

Sugitaru wa oyobazaru ga gotoshi
Too much is as bad as too little

Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru.
Great oaks from little acorns grow.

Koi to seki to wa kakusarenu.
Love conquers all.

Yanagi ni kaze.
Follow the path of least resistance.

Nana korobi ya oki.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Heso o kamedomo oyobanu.
Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

Suntetsu hito wo sasu
Brevity is the soul of wit

Takara no mochigusare
A white elephant

Toki wa kane nari
Time is money

Tora no i wo kariru kitsune
A bluffer. (A fox who borrows the skin of a tiger)

Tsukiyo ni chouchin
Coals to Newcastle

Yasumono kai no zeni ushinau
Penny wise, pound foolish

Iwanu ga hana
Literally: not-speaking is the flower
Some things are better left unsaid; Silence is golden

Yowarime ni tatarime
It never rains but it pours

Answer 2

Funny Japanese Proverbs

Answer 3

FYI, it's called "Kotowaza" in Japanese.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotowaza

Abu hachi torazu - "If you run after both the horsefly and the bee, you will end up catching neither."
English version = To fall between two stools.

Hana yori dango - "Dumplings are better than cherry blossoms"
English version = Pudding before praise.

Hyakubun Ikken Ni Shikazu - "One picture is worth a thousand words."
English version = Seeing is believing.

Ishibashi o tataite wataru - "Strike the stone bridge for defects before crossing it"
English Version = Forewarned is forearmed. or Good watch prevents misfortune.

My favorite is this one. (Because it's used frequently in Samurai movies.)
Tonde hi ni iru Natsu no mushi - "Like summer bugs that fly into fire"
English version = Like moths to a flame

Also it's funny how sometimes Japanese proverbs give contradicting meaning.
For example the first one on the list.
"Abu hachi torazu" basically means if you try to do two things at once you are bound to be unsuccessful.
But there is also another proverb : "Isseki nicho" which has the same literal and actual meaning as "To kill 2 bird with one stone".
I used to bug my parents when I was kid and ask them questions like "So which is correct?" To which they answered "Eat your vegetables."

Answer 4

♡*"The nail that sticks out is hammered down."
One of the first things↑ I learned when I came to Japan.
(*^o^*)
"A tall tree catches much wind." 出る杭は打たれる
*Useful...I think.♡
(^_-)-☆
～Check out this 'Japanese Dictionary of Proverbs', it's interesting:
http://www.languagerealm.com/japanese/japaneseproverbs.php

Answer 5

Arigato- Thank you
Konichiwa- Good evening

Answer 6

猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees

Wow this was my Japanese lesson today, I put some more on my blog page http://thejapaneseeye.blogspot.com/

Answer 7

arigato-thank you
doitashimashite-your wlecome
konnichiwa-hello- good after noon
ohayou-good morning
konnbannwa-good evening
sumimasen-excuse me
gomenasai-im sorry
unko-poop
lol thats all i can think of. hope that helped

Answer 8

goni ireba goni shitagae.