Minasan konnichiwa!
I just love old Japanese proverbs. Some of them are so funny! So I’m going to introduce the best ones here.
Here’s one of my favorites:
サルも木から落ちる
Saru-mo ki-kara ochiru
“Even monkeys fall out of trees!”
Monkeys aren’t supposed to fall out of trees. They’re supposed to know what they’re doing! But you know – even monkeys fall out of trees?
Got it? It’s what people say when someone has made a mistake they’re not expected to make.
In English, people say “Well… No one’s perfect” Or “We all make mistakes.” But I prefer that mental image of a monkey falling out of a tree. What would the other monkeys say to make it feel better?
Here’s another one that means almost the same thing:
弘法にも筆の誤り
Kōbō nimo fude no ayamari
“Even (the famous calligrapher) Kobo (Taishi) made mistakes with the brush”
It’s not so funny, is it?
If you look these up in a dictionary, you might find this one in English:
“Even Homer sometimes nods”
But I don’t think you would ever say this – would you??
I’d rather think of that monkey falling out of its tree.
More funny Japanese proverbs coming soon!
Jaa mata ne
–Kazue
