ProverbWisdomJapanese origin

郷に入っては郷に従え (Gō ni itte wa gō ni shitagae)

Meaning: Follow the customs of the place you are in.

Literally: When entering a village, follow the village

Example: “日本では家に入る時に靴を脱ぐ。郷に入っては郷に従えだ。” — In Japan you take your shoes off when entering a house: when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and 5 more languages

  • English: When in Rome, do as the Romans do
  • French: À Rome, fais comme les Romains (literally: In Rome, do as the Romans)
  • Spanish: Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres (literally: Where you go, do what you see)
  • German: Andere Länder, andere Sitten (literally: Other countries, other customs)
  • Italian: Paese che vai, usanza che trovi (literally: Every country you go to, a custom you find)
  • Portuguese: Em Roma sê romano (literally: In Rome, be Roman)
  • Dutch: 's Lands wijs, 's lands eer (literally: The country's ways are the country's honor)
  • Russian: В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят (V chuzhoy monastyr' so svoim ustavom ne khodyat) (literally: You don't bring your own rulebook to someone else's monastery)
  • Polish: Kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać jak i one (literally: When you go among crows, you must caw like them)
  • Chinese: 入乡随俗 (Rù xiāng suí sú) (literally: Entering a village, follow its customs)

Origin: Gō is a village or district: entering one, you obey its ways. It echoes the Chinese 入乡随俗.

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