ProverbCommunicationFrench origin16th c.

Walls have ears

Meaning: Be careful what you say — you may be overheard in unexpected places.

Origin: Recorded in English in its present form in 1620, and known earlier in 16th-century French as les murs ont des oreilles. English had an older version, "fields have eyes and woods have ears," recorded around 1225. Nowhere is truly private.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese, and 6 more languages

  • French: Les murs ont des oreilles (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Spanish: Las paredes tienen oídos (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Japanese: 壁に耳あり (Kabe ni mimi ari) (literally: Walls have ears)
  • German: Die Wände haben Ohren (literally: The walls have ears)
  • Portuguese: As paredes têm ouvidos (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Dutch: De muren hebben oren (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Polish: Ściany mają uszy (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Chinese: 隔墙有耳 (Gé qiáng yǒu ěr) (literally: There are ears beyond the wall)
  • Korean: 낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다 (Nanmareun saega deutgo bammareun jwiga deunneunda) (literally: Birds hear daytime words, mice hear nighttime words)
  • Arabic: للحيطان آذان (Lil-ḥīṭān ādhān) (literally: Walls have ears)
  • Turkish: Yerin kulağı var (literally: The ground has ears)

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