Proverb of the Day: Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru

This week's proverb is, "Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru (犬も歩けば棒にあたる)." It literally means, "Even a dog will bump into a pole if it walks." It refers to "Good luck may come unexpectedly." It is similar to the English expression, "The dog that trots about finds a bone." Click this link to read my article, "Dogs in Japanese Culture". You can also check out more expressions including the word "dog (inu)".

Here is some vocabulary from the proverb. "Mo" and "ni" are particles. Click this link to learn more about particles.

inu 犬 --- dog
aruku 歩く --- to walk
bou　棒 --- pole
ataru　当たる --- to hit