ProverbChallengeJapanese origin

人の行く裏に道あり花の山 (Hito no yuku ura ni michi ari hana no yama)

Meaning: The best opportunities lie where the crowd isn't looking.

Literally: Behind where people go, there is a mountain of flowers

Example: “みんなが買っている株より、注目されていない株を探そう。人の行く裏に道あり花の山だ。” — Look for the stocks nobody's watching rather than the ones everyone buys: the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Equivalents in English

Origin: A well-known proverb of Japanese stock traders: behind the path everyone takes lies a hillside of blossoms. It advises going against the crowd.

More proverbs about Challenge

Explore another collection: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

  • Bra Actually means 'good'. Det är bra = That's good.
  • Glass Actually means 'ice cream'. En glass = an ice cream. For a glass (vessel), say ett glas.
  • Semester Actually means 'holiday' or 'vacation'. A school semester is en termin.

Browse all false friends →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →