亀の甲より年の劫(Kame no kou yori toshi no kou) Literally : Maturity is greater in value than a tortoise shell. Meaning : The older, the wiser. / Years bring

wisdom. Wisdom is acquired through age and live experience. Old people, being wise, are worthy to respect.

始めは大事(Hajime wa daiji) Literally : The beginning is most important. Meaning: A good beginning is most likely to insure success. English Parallel:

Well begun is half done.

上手の手から水が漏る(jouzu no te kara mizu ga moru) Literally: Skilled hands still spill water. Meaning : “Water leaks from skillful hands “ It is practically

impossible to hold water in your hands without spilling any. In fact no one can hold water in their hands without spilling a drop… Even the most skilled people occasionally make mistakes, and therefore have room for improvement.

雀の千声より鶴の一声( suzume no sengoe yori tsuru no hitogoe) Literally : Better one cry of a crane than a thousand chirps from sparrows. Meaning: One word

from a wise man is better than a thousand from a fool.

花鳥風月Kachou Fuugetsu Literally: Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon Meaning: experience the beauties of nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.猿も木から落ちる Saru mo ki kara ochiru Literally: Even monkeys fall from trees Meaning: Anyone can make a mistake. Also used to warn

pride comes before a fall.

百聞は一見に如かず(hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu) Literally: Hearing about something one hundred times is not as good as seeing it once. Meaning : You can

learn more through seeing with your eyes than just listening from other people

虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず

(Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu) Literally: If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub. Meaning: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. / You can't do anything without risking something.

井の中の蛙大海を知らず

(I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu) Literally: A frog in a well does not know the great sea. Meaning: People are satisfied to judge things by their own narrow experience, never knowing of the wide world outside.

蝋燭は身を減らして人を照らす

( rousoku wa mi o herashite hito o terasu) Literally : A candle lights others and consumes itself. Meaning: Great men will devote themselves to helping others selflessly.

十人十色(jūnin toiro) Literally: ten men, ten colors Meaning: To each his/her own. / Different strokes for different folks.

雨降って地固まる(ame futte ji katamaru)

Literally: After the rain, earth hardensMeaning: Adversity builds character./After a storm, things will stand on more solid ground than they did before.

不言実行(Fugen jikkou ) "Fu"=a kanji with the meaning of denial "gen"=to say "jitsu"=in practice "kou"=to practice, to do. Literally : Silent Action

Meaning : Action speaks louder than words By adding the "fu" a kanji for denial in front of "gen" a verb 'to say', "fugen" means to say nothing. "Jikkou" means to actually do something.

笑って暮らすも一生、泣いて暮らすも一生

( waratte kurasu mo isshou, naite kurasu mo isshou) Literally : It is the same life, whether we spend it crying or laughing. It is one life whether spent laughing or weeping. Meaning : you have a choice as to how you live your life, what you choose to do and feel.

明日は明日、今日は今日

(Ashita wa ashita, kyo wa kyou) Literally : Tomorrow is tomorrow, today is today. Meaning : focus on this day now, and think or worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

良薬は口に苦し(ryouyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi) Literally: “Good medicine tastes bitter.”Meaning: The advice we least want to hear is the advice we need

the most. you tend to dislike things that are actually good for you.

外柔内剛

(Gaiju-Naigou) “gai” = “outside”, “ju” = “soft”, “nai” = “inside”, “go” = “strong/ hard”: soft outside and hard inside. [looks gentle but is tough inside] A person who looks frail, gentle and quiet but has strong mentality/ commitment/ will inside. (Often used to describe

people who are hard on themselves but easy on others)

芸は身を助ける(Gei wa mi o tasukeru )Accomplishments provide you with a livelihood. Meaning : Accomplishments achieved while young serve you to

make your living.

瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば光る

(ruri mo hari mo teraseba hikaru) Literally : Lapiz and crystals shine when illuminated. Meaning : A talented person shines when given an opportunit

一期一会( ichigo-iche ) "ichigo" means "lifetime" and "ichie" means "one meeting" (meeting only once in a lifetime) Life is full of new meetings and

encounters, but treasure each meeting for it will never occur. This idiom teaches you the importance of the meeting and connection of people.

大器晩成( taiki bansei) late-blooming, great talents mature slowly (literally: large utensil evening finish)This reads "taikibansei." "Taiki" means "a gifted man," "bansei" means "taking time to mature." So this saying means, "If you are truly gifted, it will take you some time to be really

great.

名馬に癖あり(meiba ni kuse ari) Literally: A famous horse still has faults. Meaning : There is no such thing as perfection . Even a Thoroughbred has its

Habits

桃栗三年柿八年(momo kuri san-nen, kaki hachi-nen) literally: Peaches and chestnuts, three years; persimmon, eight years; Meaning : Each thing at its

own pace; every thing at its own time i.e.: the fruit takes a different number of years to grow. It takes time for one's actions to bear fruit.

若いときの苦労は買ってでもせよ

(Wakai toki no kuro wa kattedemo seyo ) Literally : Endure hardship when you’re young, even you have to buy it. Meaning : Seek out hardship while still young, for hardship in your youth is good medicine that will help you achieve great success in the future. Heavy work

in youth is quiet rest in old age.

一条の矢は折るべく、十条は折るべからず

(ichijou no ya wa orubeku, juujou wa orubekarazu ) literal: one arrow may break, but ten will not. Meaning : In union there is strength.

継続は力なり(Keizoku wa chikara nari)Literally: Continuance (also) is power/strength. Meaning: Don't give up. Just continuing to hold on will

yield/reveal strength and power. Continuing on after a setback is its own kind of strength. Perseverance is power.

学問に王道なし(gakumon ni oudou nashi) There is no royal road to learning. Meaning : There's is no easy path to knowledge.

あるは厭なり思うは成らず

(aru wa iyanari omou wa narazu) “ What we have we dislike, what we long for we cannot get.” Meaning : Things often do not go as we wish in this world. English paraller : If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

源清ければ流れ清し(Minamoto kiyokereba nagare kiyoshi) “ If the fountain- head is clear, the stream will be clear.” Meaning : The heart must be clean to

produce good deeds. English opposite : Muddy springs will have muddy streams.

人の七難は身揺れども、我が十難は見えず

(hito no shichinan wa miyuredomo, waga juunan wa miezu) Though you see seven defects in others, you do not see the ten in yourself

笑う門には福来る(Warau kado niha fuku kitaru) Literally : fortune comes to a street corner of someone smiling. Meaning : Laughter/smile brings happiness

and fortune

上を見れば切がない( ue o mireba kiri ga nai ) Literally : There is no end if you look up. Meaning: there are no limits to what talent and determination can

bring.

二度あることは三度ある

( Nido aru koto wa sando aru)　 What happened twice will happen three times. Meaning : There will be a third time for things that have happened twice, History always reiterates.

好きこそ物の上手なれ(suki koso mono no jouzu nare) Translation: It is because we like things that we can become good at them. Meaning: If we like

something, we’ll improve at doing it naturally. What one likes, one will do best [well]

継続は力なり。(Keizoku wa chikara nari) Literally: Continuance is power/strength. Meaning: Don't give up. Just continuing to hold on will yield/reveal

strength and power. Continuing on after a setback is its own kind of strength. Perseverance is power.