Minasan Ohayō gozaimasu!
Do you know what does 馬の耳に念仏 ~Chanting Buddhist invocation to a horse ears” means?
Let’s find it now!
I’ll show you 5 Japanese proverbs in this blog. Let’s get started!
Introducing 5 Japanese proverbs, vol.12 Video
苦しい時の神頼み
（くるしい ときの かみだのみ）
Romaji: kurushii toki no kamidanomi
Word: kurushii toki (苦しい時)= suffering time, kamidanomi (神頼み)= praying to God
Direct translation: Praying to God when suffering
Equivalent English expressions: Once on shore, we pray no more. Danger past, and God forgotten.
Similar Kotowaza: 喉元過ぎれば熱さ忘れる (nodomoto sugireba atsusa wasureru) When pass the throat, forget its hotness (direct translation) -> Vows made in storms are forgotten in calms.
Example: 普段は神なんて信じてないけど、明日の試験はどうしても合格したいから、神社にお参りにいったよ。まさに苦しい時の神頼み。
Fudan wa kami nante shinjite naikedo, ashita no shiken wa dōshitemo gōkaku shitai kara, jinja nii omairi ni itta yo. masani “kurushii toki no kamidanomi”.
Usually I do not believe God. But I really need to pass tomorrow’s exam, so I went to a shrine to pray. That’s exactly “kurushii toki no kamidanomi“.
油断大敵
（ゆだん たいてき）
Romaji: yudan taiteki
Word: yudan (油断)= negligence; carelessness taiteki (大敵) = great enemy
Direct translation: Overconfidence/Carelessness can be very dangerous
Equivalent English expressions: Don’t lapse into a false sense of security.
Example: コロナウイルスはまだ収束していないから、油断大敵だよ。マスクはいつもしようね。
korona uirusu wa mada shūsoku shite inai kara, yudan taiteki dayo. Masuku wa itsumo shiyō ne.
Since coronavirus is not over yet, “yudan taiteki“. We better wear masks always.
頭隠して尻隠さず
（あたまかくして しりかくさず）
Romaji: atama kakushite shiri kakusazu
Word: atama (頭)= head, kakusu (隠す)= hide, shiri (尻) = buttocks
Direct translation: Hide your head but don’t hide your buttocks
Equivalent English expressions: Ostrich policy. The foolish ostrich buries his head in the sand and thinks he is not seen.
Example:
A: ここにあったポテト食べた？ B: 食べてないよ。 A: うそだね。口が油でテカテカだよ。頭隠して尻隠さずだね。
A: koko ni atta poteto tabeta? B: tabete nai yo. A: Uso dane. kuchi ga abura de tekateka dayo. Atama kakushite shiri kakusazu dane.
A: Did you eat french fries I left here? B: No I didn’t. A: You’re lying. Your mouth is shiny with oil. What you do is “atama kakushite shiri kakusazu”.
恋は盲目
（こいは もうもく）
Romaji: koi wa mōmoku
Word: koi (恋)= love, mōmoku (盲目)= blind
Direct translation: Love is blind
Equivalent English expressions: Love is blind
Example: 恋は盲目。 恋に落ちた者は時として理性的に考えたり行動したりすることができなくなる。
Koi wa mōmoku. Koi ni ochita mono wa toki toshite, risēteki ni kangaetari kōdō shitari surukoto ga dekinaku naru.
Love is blind; those who fall in love are unable at times to think or act rationally.
馬の耳に念仏
（うまの みみに ねんぶつ）
Romaji: uma no mimi ni nenbutsu
Word: uma (馬)= horse, mimi (耳)= ear, nenbutsu (念仏) = Buddhist invocation
Direct translation: (Chanting) Buddhist invocation to a horse ears.
Equivalent English expressions: In one ear and out the other. Speaking to the deaf
Example: あの人はがんこだから、何を言っても無駄だよ。まさに、馬の耳に念仏。
Ano hito wa ganko dakara, nani o itte mo muda dayo. Masa ni Uma no mimi ni nenbutsu.
That person is stubborn, so it’s waste of your time whatever you say to him. It’s exactly like “uma no mimi ni nenbutsu”.
How was it? Dō deshita ka?
Do you have your favorite Kotowaza?
Hope you enjoyed the 5 Japanese proverbs introduced this time!
Find out the 10 most famous Japanese proverbs!
＊ If you wonder what are “dane”, “dayo”, desu yo” – ending particles, you way want to watch these two videos 🙂
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