「ことわざ」は英語で「proverb」または「saying」と言います。
「proverb」は教訓や人生のアドバイスなどを表現した短い文章やフレーズを指し、「ことわざ」や「格言」を意味します。
「saying」は「proverb」と同じ意味として使われることもありますが、ことわざや格言だけでなく、古くからの言い習わしや多くの人が知っている有名な言葉（本のフレーズなど）も含みます。
このページでは、日本のことわざを英語で言うとどうなるのか、よく知られていることわざを一覧にしてご紹介しています。
日本のことわざを英語で言うと？
ナビゲーション
日本のことわざを五十音順で並べているので、それぞれジャンプしてご覧ください。
| あ | か | さ | た | な |
| は | ま | や | ら | わ |
あ行
あ
逢うは別れの始め
We never meet without a parting.
明日は明日の風が吹く
Tomorrow is another day.
頭隠して尻隠さず
The foolish ostrich buries his head in the sand and thinks he is not seen.
あばたもえくぼ
Love is blind.
雨降って地固まる
After a storm comes a calm.
案ずるより産むが易し
It is easer to do something than worry about it.
い
石の上にも三年
Perseverance pays dividends.
石橋を叩いて渡る
Look before you leap.
医者の不養生
Physician, heal thyself.
急がば回れ
Haste makes waste.
一を聞いて十を知る
One word is enough to the wise.
一寸の虫にも五分の魂
Even a worm will turn.
一石二鳥
killing two birds with one stone
犬も歩けば棒に当たる
A flying crow always catches something.
う
上には上がある
There is always someone above you.
魚心あれば水心
Scratch me and I’ll scratch you.
嘘つきは泥棒の始まり
If you lie, you steal.
嘘も方便
The ends justify the means.
馬の耳に念仏
In one ear and out the other.
え
絵に描いた餅
pie in the sky
海老で鯛を釣る
throw a sprat to catch a mackerel
縁の下の力持ち
unsung hero
お
鬼に金棒
The more Moors, the better victory.
鬼の目にも涙
Even the hardest heart can be moved to tears.
思い立ったが吉日
Strike while the iron is hot.
終わり良ければすべて良し
All is well that ends well.
女心と秋の空
Women are as fickle as April weather.
恩を仇で返す
to bite the hand that feeds you
か行
か
蛙の子は蛙
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
火事場の馬鹿力
hysterical strength
風が吹けば桶屋が儲かる
It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
勝って兜の緒を締めよ
Don’t halloo till you are out of the woods.
河童の川流れ
Even Homer sometimes nods.
金の切れ目が縁の切れ目
Love lasts as long as money endures.
金は天下の回りもの
Money comes and goes.
壁に耳あり障子に目あり
Walls have ears. Doors have eyes.
果報は寝て待て
Good things come to those who wait.
亀の甲より年の功
The older, the wiser.
枯れ木も山に賑わい
Anything is better than nothing.
可愛い子には旅をさせよ
If you love your child, send him/her out into the world.
き
聞くは一時の恥、聞かずは一生の恥
Better to ask the way than to go astray.
昨日の敵は今日の友
Today’s enemies can be your friends tomorrow.
器用貧乏
Jack of all trades, master of none.
く
口は災いの元
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
け
継続は力なり
Practice makes perfect.
こ
恋は盲目
Love is blind.
光陰矢の如し
Time flies like an arrow.
後悔先に立たず
It is no use crying over spilled milk.
郷に入れば郷に従え
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
弘法にも筆の誤り
Even Homer sometimes nods.
弘法筆を選ばず
A bad workman always blames his tools.
虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
五十歩百歩
Six of one and half a dozen of the other.
転ばぬ先の杖
Look before you leap.
転んでもただでは起きない
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
さ行
さ
猿も木から落ちる
Even Homer sometimes nods.
触らぬ神に祟りなし
Let sleeping dogs lie.
三度目の正直
Third time’s the charm.
三人寄れば文殊の知恵
Two heads are better than one.
し
親しき仲にも礼儀あり
Good fences make good neighbors.
失敗は成功のもと
Failure teaches success.
釈迦に説法
Don’t teach fishes to swim.
十人十色
Different strokes for different folks.
朱に交われば赤くなる
Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.
正直者が馬鹿を見る
Honesty doesn’t pay.
将を射んと欲すればまず馬を射よ
He that would the daughter win, must with the mother first begin.
初心忘るべからず
Don’ forget your first resolution.
人事を尽くして天命を待つ
God helps those who help themselves.
す
好きこそ物の上手なれ
What one likes, one will do well.
捨てる神あれば拾う神あり
When one door shuts another opens.
住めば都
To every bird, his own nest is beautiful.
せ
精神一到何事か成らざらん
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
急いては事を仕損じる
Haste makes waste.
背に腹はかえられぬ
Necessity has no law.
船頭多くして船山に上る
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
善は急げ
Strike while the iron is hot.
千里の道も一歩から
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
そ
備えあれば憂いなし
Look before you leap.
損して得取れ
You must lose a fly to catch a trout.
た行
た
大は小を兼ねる
Better too big than too small.
立つ鳥跡を濁さず
Cast no dirt into the well that gives you water.
蓼食う虫も好き好き
Different strokes for different folks.
棚から牡丹餅
pennies from heaven
便りがないのは良い便り
No news is good news.
ち
塵も積もれば山となる
Many a little makes a mickle.
つ
月とすっぽん
as different as night and day
罪を悪んで人を悪まず
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
て
鉄は熱いうちに打て
Strike while the iron is hot.
出る杭は打たれる
The nail（stake）that sticks out gets hammered down.
天は二物を与えず
God doesn’t give with both hands.
と
同気相求める
Birds of a feather flock together.
灯台下暗し
Go abroad to hear of home.
時は金なり
Time is money.
隣の芝は青い
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
取らぬ狸の皮算用
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
どんぐりの背比べ
be（all）much of a muchness
飛んで火に入る夏の虫
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
な行
な
泣きっ面に蜂
It never rains but it pours.
情けは人の為ならず
One good turn deserves another.
為せば成る、なさねばならぬ何事も
Where there is a will, there is a way
七転び八起き
A man’s walking is a succession of falls.
習うより慣れろ
Practice makes perfect.
に
憎まれっ子世にはばかる
Ill weeds grow apace.
二兎を追う者は一兎も得ず
If you run after two hares you will catch neither.
二度あることは三度ある
Things come in threes.
人間万事塞翁が馬
Every cloud has a silver lining.
ぬ
糠に釘
All is lost that is given to a fool.
ね
猫に小判
cast pearls before swine
猫の手も借りたい
I need all the help I can get.
寝耳に水
a bolt from the blue
念には念を入れる
Look before you leap.
の
能ある鷹は爪を隠す
A wise wolf hides its fangs.
残り物には福がある
Good luck lies in odd numbers.
喉元過ぎれば熱さを忘れる
Danger past, god forgotten.
暖簾に腕押し
All is lost that is given to a fool.
は行
は
花より団子
Dumplings rather than flowers.
早起きは三文の徳
The early bird catches the worm.
ひ
人の振り見て我が振り直せ
One man’s fault is another’s lesson.
人は見かけによらぬもの
You can’t judge a book by its cover.
火の無い所に煙は立たぬ
Where there’s smoke there’s fire.
百聞は一見に如かず
A picture is worth a thousand words.
瓢簞から駒が出る
Mows may come to earnest.
ふ
覆水盆に返らず
It is no use crying over spilled milk.
豚に真珠
cast pearls before swine
へ
へそで茶を沸かす
That’s hilarious.
下手な鉄砲も数撃ちゃ当たる
Fake it till you make it.
屁の河童
It’s a piece of cake.
ペンは剣よりも強し
The pen is mightier than the sword.
ほ
坊主憎けりゃ袈裟まで憎い
He who hates Peter harms his dog.
仏の顔も三度
Even the patience of a saint has limits.
骨折り損のくたびれもうけ
My effort turned out to be nothing but pain.
惚れて通えば千里も一里
Labour is light where love does pay.
ま行
ま
蒔かぬ種は生えぬ
You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs.
待てば海路の日和あり
Good things come to those who wait.
み
身から出た錆
You asked for it.
三日坊主
I can’t stick with anything.
三つ子の魂百まで
What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave.
耳に胼胝ができる
Shut up! I’m sick and tired of hearing it!
む
め
目から鱗が落ちる
the scales fall from somebody’s eyes
目に入れても痛くない
the apple of my eye
目には目を、歯には歯を
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
目は口ほどに物を言う
The eyes are the window to the soul.
も
持ちつ持たれつ
give and take
餅は餅屋
Every man knows his own business best.
物は試し
You can’t tell unless you try.
や行
や
柳に雪折れ無し
Oaks may fall when reeds stand the storm.
藪をつついて蛇を出す
Let sleeping dogs lie.
病は気から
It’s all mental.
ゆ
有終の美を飾る
I did it to perfection.
雄弁は銀、沈黙は金
Speech is silver, silence is golden.
油断大敵
Carelessness is the greatest enemy.
よ
弱り目に祟り目
It never rains but it pours.
ら行
ら
楽あれば苦あり
Every cloud has a silver lining.
楽は苦の種、苦は楽の種
No pains no gains.
り
両手に花
a lady on each arm
良薬口に苦し
Good medicine for health tastes bitter to the mouth.
る
類は友を呼ぶ
Great minds think alike.
れ
歴史は繰り返す
History repeats itself.
ろ
ローマは一日にしてならず
Rome was not built in a day.
論より証拠
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
わ行
わ
渡る世間に鬼はない
Don’t distrust everyone.
笑う門には福来たる
Fortune comes in at the merry gate.
ことわざを英語で言えるようになると、英会話が楽しくなる
このページでは、日本のことわざを英語で言うとどうなるのか、有名なことわざを集めてご紹介しました。
ことわざを英語で言えるようになると、表現の幅が広がり、英会話も楽しくなります。
実際の英会話でぜひ活用してみてくださいね。