Japanese proverbs

A Japanese proverb (, ことわざ, kotowaza^?) may take the form of:

Although "proverb" and "saying" are practically synonymous, the same cannot be said about "idiomatic phrase" and "four-character idiom". Not all kan'yōku and yojijukugo are proverbial. For instance, the kan'yōku 狐の嫁入り kitsune no yomeiri (Literally: a fox's wedding. Meaning: a sun-shower) and the yojijukugo 小春日和 koharubiyori (Literally: small spring weather. Meaning: Indian summer – warm spring-like weather in early winter) are not proverbs. To be considered a proverb, a word or phrase must express a common truth or wisdom; it cannot be a mere noun.

Japanese commonly use proverbs, often citing just the first part of common phrases for brevity. For example, one might say I no naka no kawazu (井の中の蛙, a frog in a well^?) to refer to the proverb I no naka no kawazu, taikai o shirazu (, a frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean^?). Whereas proverbs in English are typically multi-worded phrases ("kill two birds with one stone"), Japanese yojijukugo (四字熟語^?) borrows from Chinese and compactly conveys the concept in one word Isseki nichō (一石二鳥, one stone two birds^?).

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