| The Year of the Rooster | |
|
Page
2 of 2The Japanese word for rooster is "niwatori." "Tori" means a "bird" in general. Click here to learn the kanji character for bird. To learn vocabulary for birds, click here. Like the other zodiac animals such as the snake (hebi) or horse (uma), there are many expressions including bird names.
| Hakidame
ni tsuru (Literally means, "a crane in the trash") |
A jewel in a dunghill, an excellent thing lying with rubbish |
| Isseki-nichou (Literally means, "one stone, two birds") |
Killing two birds with one stone (Click here to learn more about this expression.) |
| Kago
no tori (Literally means, "a caged bird") |
not to have freedom |
| Kankodori ga naku | to be deserted |
| Karasu
no gyouzui (Literally means, "a crow's dip") |
to have a very quick bath |
| Karasu no nureba-iro | be as black as a raven |
| Keikou
to naru mo gyuugo to narunakare (Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse. ) |
It is better to be a great noble than a petty monarch. |
| Kiji
mo nakazuba utaremai (Literally means, "The pheasant would not be caught but for its cries") |
If you don't make unnecessary remarks or criticize other people, you won't suffer from trouble or harm. |
| Mejiro oshi | jostling with one another, a crash |
| Nou aru
taka wa tsume o kakusu (Literally means, "a clever hawk hides its claws") |
A talented person knows to be modest, Still waters run deep |
| Oumu gaeshi | a repetition of another's words |
| Suzume
hyaku made odori o wasurezu (Literally means, "sparrows never forget how to dance until a hundred years old" ) |
What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. |
| Suzume
no namida (Literally means, "tears of sparrow") |
small quantity, only a little |
| Tatsu
tori ato o nigosazu (Literally means, "birds leave the water undisturbed. ) |
To leave on a good note, to create a good impression when leaving for good |
| Tobi ga
taka o umu (Literally means, "a kite gives birth to a hawk") |
A case of a black hen laying white eggs, the child surpassing the parents |
| Tobu tori mo otosu ikioi | At the summit of one's power |
| Torihada ga tatsu | To have gooseflesh |
| Tsuru
no hitokoe (Literally means, "the single cry of the crane") |
the voice of authority, unchallengeable order |
| Ugou
no shuu (Literally means, "people like cloud of birds") |
a disorderly crowd, a rabble, sheep that has no shepherd |
| U
no me taka no me de sagasu (Literally means, "to look for with sharp eyes like a cormorant or a hawk") |
to keep one's eyes open, to look for something with sharp eyes |
| Unomi ni suru | to cram knowledge just like a cormorant swallowing a whole fish without chewing |
Japanese Zodiac > Page 1, 2
Previous Features Where Do I Begin
