Learn Japanese FAQ

Q: Could you teach us some traditional Japanese proverbs?

A:  There are quite a few really good traditional Japanese proverbs.   Here are a couple that I use all the time:

朝飯前 – asa meshi mae – morning meal before – before breakfast = dead easy!

If someone says できる？ – dekiru?  - “Can you do it?” you just say “朝飯前” to mean “a piece of cake!”  It gives the other person a lot of confidence in you! Provided you can do it of course!

Or another good one is

猫に小判 = neko ni koban = a koban (coin) to a cat = they are not worthy

For example if someone has a 64GB 3G iPad and all they are doing is playing solitaire then you can say “猫に小判” to mean “they’re not worthy of having that!”.   Of course you say it in a joking way!

Do you want any more Japanese proverbs?

Be genki,

Richard