ProverbPerseverance
Japanese origin
Japanese origin犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru)
Meaning: Go out and act, and something will happen to you, for better or worse.
Literally: Even a dog walking will hit a stick
Example: “とりあえず出かけてみたら、昔の友達に会えた。犬も歩けば棒に当たるだね。” — I went out on a whim and ran into an old friend: every dog has its day.
Equivalents in English, German, Russian, and Korean
English: Every dog has its day
German: Auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn (literally: Even a blind hen finds a grain of corn now and then)
Russian: Будет и на нашей улице праздник (Budet i na nashey ulitse prazdnik) (literally: There will be a holiday on our street too)
Korean: 쥐구멍에도 볕 들 날 있다 (Jwigumeongedo byeot deul nal itda) (literally: Even a mouse hole has a day when the sun shines in)
Origin: It is the first card of the Edo iroha karuta, a traditional card game of proverbs. Its meaning has gone both ways since the 1700s: originally a warning that a dog wandering about gets hit with a stick, it is now usually taken as a promise of unexpected good luck.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- 馬の耳に念仏 (Uma no mimi ni nenbutsu) Wasted advice on someone who won't listen.
- 雀の涙 (suzume no namida) A pitifully small amount.
- 口が滑る (kuchi ga suberu) To accidentally let something slip.
Keep exploring