棚から牡丹餅 (Tana kara botamochi)

Meaning: An unexpected stroke of good luck.

Language: Japanese

Literally: A sweet rice cake from the shelf

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: A botamochi cake tumbling from a high shelf straight into your mouth pictures fortune arriving with no effort.

More idioms — Food & Drink

그림의 떡 (Geurimui tteok) — Something desirable but completely out of reach.
김칫국부터 마신다 (gimchitgukbuteo masinda) — To count your chickens before they hatch.
우물에 가 숭늉 찾는다 (Umure ga sungnyung channeunda) — To demand results with absurd impatience.
Iets voor zoete koek aannemen — To swallow a story uncritically.
Met de gebakken peren zitten — To be stuck with the unpleasant aftermath.
Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt — Now we're really in trouble.

七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) — To keep getting up no matter how often you fall.
月とすっぽん (Tsuki to suppon) — Two things alike at a glance but worlds apart.
石橋を叩いて渡る (Ishibashi o tataite wataru) — To be extremely, even excessively, cautious.
釘を刺す (kugi o sasu) — To remind someone firmly so they can't back out.
顔から火が出る (kao kara hi ga deru) — To burn with embarrassment.
猫の手も借りたい (Neko no te mo karitai) — I'm so busy I'll take help from anyone.

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