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Japanese Proverbs Starting by ne
猫が顔を洗うと雨が降る
[ねこがかおをあらうとあめがふる, neko ga kao o arau to ame ga furu]
when a cat washes its face, it will rain
猫に鰹節を預けるよう
[ねこにかつおぶしをあずけるよう, neko ni katsuobushi o azukeru you]
like having a cat guard dried bonito; like letting the fox guard the henhouse
猫に冠袋をかぶせたよう
[ねこにかんぶくろをかぶせたよう, neko ni kanbukuro o kabuseta you]
be suspicious and afraid, to (lit:. like a cat with its head covered in a paper bag)
猫に小判
[ねこにこばん, neko ni koban]
pearls before swine (lit.: gold coins [koban] before cats; n.b.: cats were not much appreciated in pre-modern Japan).
猫に念仏、馬に銭
[ねこにねんぶつ、うまにぜに, neko ni nenbutsu, uma ni zeni]
Buddhist prayers to a cat, money to a horse (useless, wasted effort)
猫の手も借りたい
[ねこのてもかりたい, neko no te mo karitai]
be very busy
猫よりましだ
[ねこよりましだ, neko yori mashi da]
it’s better than nothing (lit.: it’s better than a cat)
猫をかぶる
[ねこをかぶる, neko o kaburu]
put on a show, to; to fake
猫を殺せば七代たたる
[ねこをころせばしちだいたたる, neko o koroseba, shichidai tataru]
kill a cat and it will haunt you and your family for seven generations
捻り釜に捻り蓋
[ねじりがまにねじりぶた, nejirigama ni nejiributa]
like goes with like (lit.: a crooked top on a crooked kettle)
熱しやすいものは冷えやすし
[ねっしやすいものはへいやすい, nesshi yasui mono wa heiyasui]
soon hot, soon cold (lit.: what is easily heated is easily chilled; n.b.: this applies to people, including romance, and things)
寝て間は極楽
[ねてまはごくらく, nete ma wa gokuraku]
the time of sleep is paradise (i.e.: the time when we are awake is difficult, even hellish)
念には念を入れ
[ねんにはねんをいれ, nen niwa nen o ire]
one cannot be too careful
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