| Proverb | Meaning | 
|---|
| いの一番 | First of all | 
| お腹一杯 | Full up | 
| 一か八か | Make-or-break game | 
| 一ダース | One dozen | 
| 一つずつ | One by one | 
| 一つ一つ | One by one | 
| 一意攻苦 | Concentration and commitment | 
| 一意専心 | One mind one heart | 
| 一衣帯水 | One coat one water | 
| 一韻到底 | One rhyme to the end | 
| 一栄一枯 | One prosperity one blight | 
| 一栄一辱 | One honor one disgrace | 
| 一栄一落 | One growth one decline | 
| 一越縮緬 | Silk fabric | 
| 一往一来 | One visit one leave | 
| 一家団欒 | Family harmony | 
| 一家眷族 | Family and dependents | 
| 一階建て | One-story building | 
| 一眼レフ | Single-lens reflex camera | 
| 一喜一憂 | Happiness and sorrow | 
| 一期一会 | One time one place | 
| 一気呵成 | All at once | 
| 一騎当千 | One cavalry as a thousand soldiers | 
| 一騎討ち | One-to-one fight | 
| 一掬の涙 | A trickle of tears | 
| 一球入魂 | One shot with the whole soul | 
| 一牛鳴地 | A bull beating the ground | 
| 一挙一動 | One behavior one action | 
| 一挙両失 | One action two losses | 
| 一挙両得 | One action two gains | 
| 一虚一盈 | One vanity one achievement | 
| 一業所感 | One work one reward | 
| 一斤染め | Dyed by light ink | 
| 一月三舟 | One moon three boats | 
| 一件落着 | One case settled down | 
| 一元描写 | Single perspective | 
| 一言一行 | One word one line | 
| 一言居士 | Intrusive person | 
| 一言多い | Verbose | 
| 一言半句 | One incomplete word | 
| 一言芳恩 | One word one gratitude | 
| 一顧傾城 | One glance nation's decline | 
| 一伍一什 | From beginning till end | 
| 一口乗る | Invest in | 
| 一口両舌 | One mouth two tongues | 
| 一刻千金 | One moment thousand gold | 
| 一昨昨日 | Two days before yesterday | 
| 一昨昨年 | Two years before last year | 
| 一殺多生 | One casualty many survivors | 
| 一子相伝 | One child succession | 
| 一死七生 | One death seven lives | 
| 一死報国 | One death serves the nation | 
| 一紙半銭 | One paper one half coin | 
| 一視同仁 | One sight same affection | 
| 一字の師 | Teacher of text polishing | 
| 一字三礼 | One word three reverence | 
| 一字千金 | One letter thousand gold | 
| 一字不説 | One letter without explanation | 
| 一時流行 | Temporary boom | 
| 一治一乱 | One reign one rebellion | 
| 一樹百穫 | One tree hundred harvests | 
| 一汁一菜 | One soup one meal | 
| 一宿一飯 | One lodge one meal | 
| 一所懸命 | One place one effort | 
| 一唱三嘆 | One chant three sighs | 
| 一笑千金 | One smile thousand gold | 
| 一上一下 | One up one down | 
| 一場春夢 | One place spring dream | 
| 一触即発 | One touch sudden burst | 
| 一心一徳 | One heart one virtue | 
| 一心同体 | One heart one body | 
| 一心不乱 | One heart no confusion | 
| 一新紀元 | One new era | 
| 一進一退 | One progress one regress | 
| 一人当千 | One person a thousand soldiers | 
| 一塵法界 | One particle whole world | 
| 一炊の夢 | One cook short dream | 
| 一酔千日 | One drink thousand days | 
| 一寸丹心 | One inch whole heart | 
| 一寸逃れ | One inch excuse | 
| 一世一代 | One life one generation | 
| 一生懸命 | One life one effort | 
| 一席打つ | Give a speech | 
| 一石二鳥 | One stone two birds | 
| 一切合切 | Put it all together | 
| 一切衆生 | All the people in the world | 
| 一銭一厘 | Small amount | 
| 一族郎党 | One family one company | 
| 一体分身 | One body many images | 
| 一大決心 | One great decision | 
| 一諾千金 | One agreement thousand gold | 
| 一団和気 | One group close together | 
| 一知半解 | One knowledge half understanding | 
| 一張一弛 | One tension one relaxation | 
| 一朝一夕 | One morning one evening | 
| 一朝富貴 | One morning wealthy and noble | 
| 一超直入 | One transcendence direct entry | 
| 一長一短 | One long one short | 
| 一天四海 | One sky four oceans | 
| 一天万乗 | One heaven ten thousand vehicles | 
| 一点一画 | One point one stroke | 
| 一点張り | One point bet | 
| 一登竜門 | One rising dragon gate | 
| 一刀三礼 | One knife three reverence | 
| 一刀両断 | One sword slash apart | 
| 一得一失 | One gain one loss | 
| 一徳一心 | One virtue one heart | 
| 一読三嘆 | One reading three lamentations | 
| 一日の長 | One day lead | 
| 一日千秋 | One day thousand autumns | 
| 一念発起 | One mind gets started | 
| 一杯食う | Get deceived | 
| 一肌脱ぐ | Pitch in | 
| 一罰百戒 | One punishment one hundred instructions | 
| 一筆抹殺 | One stroke all ruin | 
| 一病息災 | One disease one health | 
| 一品料理 | Dishes a la carte | 
| 一部始終 | Whole story | 
| 一文半銭 | Small amount | 
| 一文不通 | One letter no understanding | 
| 一碧万頃 | One blue many places | 
| 一別以来 | Since a breakup | 
| 一片氷心 | One piece cool mind | 
| 一歩譲る | Compromise a little | 
| 一暴十寒 | One exposure ten cold | 
| 一望千頃 | One view thousand places | 
| 一望無垠 | One view no limit | 
| 一本釣り | Fish with one rod | 
| 一本独鈷 | Fabric pattern | 
| 一本背負 | One arm shoulder throw | 
| 一枚噛む | Get involved in | 
| 一味徒党 | Gang group | 
| 一味同心 | One group same goal | 
| 一毛不抜 | One hair no pull | 
| 一網打尽 | One net take all | 
| 一木一草 | One tree one grass | 
| 一目十行 | One glance ten lines | 
| 一目置く | Take off one's hat to a person | 
| 一目瞭然 | One glance clear meaning | 
| 一問一答 | One question one answer | 
| 一夜十起 | One night ten wake up | 
| 一役買う | Take part | 
| 一遊一予 | One play one pleasure | 
| 一葉知秋 | One leaf knowing autumn | 
| 一陽来復 | Winter solstice | 
| 一利一害 | One benefit one harm | 
| 一粒の麦 | Grain of wheat | 
| 一粒万倍 | One grain ten thousand gold | 
| 一了百了 | One done all done | 
| 一蓮托生 | Live in one lotus | 
| 一路平安 | One road with peace | 
| 一労永逸 | One labor forever reward | 
| 一六銀行 | Pawnshop | 
| 一擲千金 | One shot thousand gold | 
| 一攫千金 | One work thousand gold | 
| 一瀉千里 | One stream thousand kilometers | 
| 一簣の功 | Carrier track | 
| 一觴一詠 | One drink one poem | 
| 一顰一笑 | One frown one smile | 
| 一飯千金 | One meal thousand gold | 
| 一服盛る | Poison food | 
| 丸一か月 | A whole month | 
| 丸一ヶ月 | A whole month | 
| 丸一週間 | All the week | 
| 牛の一散 | Cow dash | 
| 胸に一物 | Thing in one's mind | 
| 三十一日 | Thirty-first day | 
| 首尾一貫 | Head-tail consistent | 
| 人に一癖 | One inch of someone one foot of mine | 
| 人一盛り | Fleeting heydays | 
| 千に一つ | One in a thousand | 
| 専心一意 | One heart one mind | 
| 二十一日 | Twenty-first day | 
| 腹に一物 | Having a bad plan in mind | 
| 鶴の一声 | A voice from the throne | 
| 一つ穴の貉 | Badgers in the same hole | 
| 一の裏は六 | The back of dice 1 is 6 | 
| 一家を成す | Establish a school | 
| 一旗揚げる | Raise a banner | 
| 一言もない | Not saying a word | 
| 一口に言う | Put it simply | 
| 一刻を争う | Fight against time | 
| 一昨日来い | Never come here again | 
| 一札入れる | Make a statement | 
| 一山当てる | Strike it rich | 
| 一酸化炭素 | Carbon monoxide | 
| 一糸纏わず | Stark naked | 
| 一糸乱れず | In perfect order | 
| 一事が万事 | A small thing shows everything | 
| 一芝居打つ | Make a play | 
| 一笑に付す | Laugh something off | 
| 一笑を買う | Get a laugh | 
| 一場の春夢 | Fleeting moment | 
| 一寸先は闇 | An inch ahead is dark | 
| 一席設ける | Hold a reception | 
| 一戦に及ぶ | Duel | 
| 一線を画す | Make a clear distinction | 
| 一息入れる | Take a breather | 
| 一段落つく | Come to a settlement | 
| 一途を辿る | Continue along the same path | 
| 一二を争う | Compete for the first place | 
| 一杯食らう | Get deceived | 
| 一杯食わす | Play a trick on | 
| 一発嚙ます | Put a gag on | 
| 一筆入れる | Create a formal statement | 
| 一姫二太郎 | First princess second hero | 
| 一抹の不安 | A sense of anxiety | 
| 一脈通ずる | Have a link | 
| 一翼を担う | Play a part | 
| 一籌を輸す | Fall behind on one point | 
| 一粲を博す | Grin | 
| 押しの一手 | Push forward | 
| 軌を一にす | Concur | 
| 窮余の一策 | Last-ditch effort | 
| 虚仮の一心 | A fool's one heart | 
| 九牛の一毛 | One hair out of nine cows | 
| 愚者も一得 | Good idea of a fool man | 
| 鶏群の一鶴 | One crane in a chicken flock | 
| 鯉の一跳ね | One leap of the carp | 
| 紙一重の差 | Paper-thin gap | 
| 首の皮一枚 | A sliver of neck skin | 
| 習うは一生 | Learning lasts a lifetime | 
| 十把一絡げ | Grab ten times and put them all in one | 
| 親子は一世 | Parents and children are of one generation | 
| 千里一跳ね | A thousand miles in a single step | 
| 千慮の一失 | Mistake of a wise man | 
| 千慮の一得 | Good idea of a fool man | 
| 大海の一滴 | One drop in a vast ocean | 
| 茶腹も一時 | Tea comforts empty stomachs for a moment | 
| 頂門の一針 | Needle from the top of the head | 
| 二つに一つ | One of two | 
| 馬鹿の一念 | Fool's dedication | 
| 伯楽の一顧 | Diagnosis of the master | 
| 氷山の一角 | The tip of the iceberg | 
| 貧者の一灯 | The light of the poor | 
| 本来無一物 | There is nothing good or bad | 
| 万に一つも | One in ten thousand | 
| 老いの一徹 | Getting older getting more stubborn | 
| 滄海の一粟 | One grain of millet in a vast ocean | 
| 蜉蝣の一期 | A lifespan of mayfly | 
| お家の一大事 | Gossiping about other people's homes | 
| 一から十まで | From a to z | 
| 一つ間違えば | If one mistake is made | 
| 一にも二にも | First and foremost | 
| 一も二もない | Order doesn't matter | 
| 一応も二応も | Check many times | 
| 一巻の終わり | End of the line | 
| 一挙手一投足 | One raising hand one moving foot | 
| 一石を投じる | Throw in one stone | 
| 一頭地を抜く | One jumps out from the herd | 
| 財は一代の宝 | A fortune is only one generation's treasure | 
| 手は一生の宝 | Handwriting is a lifelong treasure | 
| 即時一杯の酒 | An instant cup of sake | 
| 地獄の一丁目 | First block of hell | 
| 地獄は壁一重 | Hell is just one wall away | 
| 朝顔の花一時 | A moment of morning glory flowers | 
| 土一升金一升 | A square of land a square of gold | 
| 皮切りの一灸 | The first time is the hardest | 
| 役者が一枚上 | One step ahead | 
| 槿花一日の栄 | Hibiscus bloom only lasts for a day | 
| 脛一本腕一本 | Independent | 
| 一に看病二に薬 | First care second medicine | 
| 一押し二金三男 | One push two money three men | 
| 一世を風靡する | One generation all grass swayed | 
| 一丁字を識らず | Do not know one letter | 
| 一敗地に塗れる | One defeat falling into mud | 
| 一髪千鈞を引く | One hair drug thousand kilograms | 
| 胸が一杯になる | Overwhelmed | 
| 犬一代に狸一匹 | A dog catches a racoon once in its life | 
| 後ろ千両前一文 | Back view is a thousand gold front view is one copper | 
| 手酌五合髱一升 | One liter of with your hand two liters with a beautiful hair | 
| 十年一日の如し | A decade is like a day | 
| 春宵一刻値千金 | A moment on a spring night worth a thousand gold | 
| 人間一生二万日 | Life time is 20000 days | 
| 正直は一生の宝 | Honesty is a treasure for life | 
| 昔千里も今一里 | A thousand miles in the past a single mile in the present | 
| 粗相も時の一興 | A mistake can be a source of pleasure in later life | 
| 早いのが一の芸 | Doing fast is the first art | 
| 亭主三杯客一杯 | Three cups for the owner one cup for the guest | 
| 逃ぐるが一の手 | Running away is the best strategy | 
| 馬鹿の一つ覚え | Fool repeats what he once taught | 
| 糞も味噌も一緒 | Take things all together | 
| 万緑叢中紅一点 | A girl in many boys | 
| 味噌も糞も一緒 | Take things all together | 
| 娘一人に婿八人 | One daughter with eight grooms | 
| 面目を一新する | Take a fresh start | 
| 目に一丁字なし | Unable to read a single word | 
| 薊の花も一盛り | Some day an mean girl puts on makeup | 
| 一芸は道に通ずる | One talent leads to the way | 
| 一難去って又一難 | One crisis after another crisis | 
| 一富士二鷹三茄子 | First fuji second hawks third eggplants | 
| 一文吝の百知らず | Sparing a penny not knowing a hundred opportunities | 
| 一饋に十たび起つ | One dinner night ten times leave seats | 
| 蕎麦の花も一盛り | Some day an mean girl puts on makeup | 
| 九死に一生を得る | Have a narrow escape from death | 
| 三人旅の一人乞食 | Three travelers make one beggar | 
| 衆目の一致する所 | The public is unanimous | 
| 上り一日下り一時 | Up one day down one moment | 
| 食後の一睡万病円 | A good nap after a meal is a panacea | 
| 心は二つ身は一つ | Two thoughts one body | 
| 人の一寸我が一尺 | A person's suffering and pleasure are behind a single wall | 
| 人の苦楽は壁一重 | A person's suffering and pleasure are behind a single wall | 
| 人は一代名は末代 | A people live for a generation their fame lasts for generations | 
| 雀の千声鶴の一声 | A sparrow's thousand voices a crane's one voice | 
| 打って一丸となる | Hit and unite | 
| 道理百遍義理一遍 | One kindness is better than a hundred sermons | 
| 猫の子一匹いない | Not a single kitten out there | 
| 板子一枚下は地獄 | Hell is under one boat plank | 
| 悲しい時は身一つ | In grief your body is the only thing you can count on | 
| 眉一つ動かさない | Not a twitch of an eyebrow | 
| 百日の説法屁一つ | One hundred days of preaching and one fart | 
| 百日の労一日の楽 | For every hundred days of work we need one day of ease | 
| 万死一生を顧みず | Not one hope in ten thousand | 
| 無精者の一時働き | One-day work for a slacker | 
| 一を聞いて十を知る | Know one thing know ten things | 
| 一日の計は朝にあり | A day's plan is made in the morning | 
| 一日再び晨なり難し | Today will never come again as tomorrow | 
| 九尺二間に戸が一枚 | Small house | 
| 芝居は一日の早学問 | The play is a teaching tool for the day | 
| 借りる八合済す一升 | 80% to borrow 100% to return | 
| 十読は一写に如かず | Better to copy once than to read ten times | 
| 駿河の富士と一里塚 | Mt Fuji and a mile mound | 
| 女の一念岩をも通す | A woman's wish pierces through the rocks | 
| 千里の道も一歩から | A thousand miles begins with a single step | 
| 大山鳴動して鼠一匹 | The mountain rumbles and only one rat comes out | 
| 地獄の上の一足飛び | Running up the stairs in hell | 
| 二度教えて一度叱れ | Teach twice scold once | 
| 忍の一字は衆妙の門 | Patience is the gateway to learning | 
| 彼も一時此れも一時 | Then was then now is now | 
| 美人というも皮一重 | Beauty is only skin-deep | 
| 百害あって一利なし | All pain no gain | 
| 百尺竿頭一歩を進む | Reach the top of the pole and take a step forward | 
| 百聞は一見に如かず | Seeing is believing | 
| 褒姒の一笑国を傾く | A smile of beauty tilts the nation | 
| 夜明け前が一番暗い | The darkest hour is just before the dawn | 
| 一を識りて二を知らず | Know one thing know nothing else | 
| 一将功成りて万骨枯る | One leader make a success ten thousand soldiers’  bones | 
| 一寸の虫にも五分の魂 | One tiny bug has a soul of its own | 
| 一年の計は元旦にあり | New year's plan made on new year's day | 
| 一斑を見て全豹を卜す | Seeing one spot seeing the whole leopard | 
| 九仞の功を一簣に虧く | Fall at the last hurdle | 
| 今日の一針明日の十針 | A stitch today is ten stitches tomorrow | 
| 産屋の風邪は一生つく | A cold in a birthing center lasts a lifetime | 
| 十遍読むより一遍写せ | Better to copy once than to read ten times | 
| 人の十難より我が一難 | Take care of your one trouble rather than the ten troubles of others | 
| 仙人の千年蜉蝣の一時 | A thousand years of hermits a moment of mayflies | 
| 千貫のかたに編笠一蓋 | One braided hat as collateral for one thousand gold | 
| 千畳敷に寝ても畳一枚 | A floor of one thousand tatami mats Sleep on a single tatami mat | 
| 千日の萱を一日に焼く | Gather thatch for a thousand days burn it down in a day | 
| 鯛も一人では旨からず | Sea bream does not taste good when eaten alone | 
| 男子の一言金鉄の如し | One word from a man is as strong as gold | 
| 二度聞いて一度物言え | Listen twice say once | 
| 隣は火事でも先ず一服 | Take a break even if it's a fire at the neighbor's house | 
| 褻にも晴れにも歌一首 | A one-hit wonder | 
| 一家は遠のく蚤は近寄る | Family moves away flea moves closer | 
| 一薫一蕕十年なお臭あり | Bad herbs drive out good herbs | 
| 一升の餅に五升の取り粉 | One rice cake with five flour flavors | 
| 惚れて通えば千里も一里 | In love a thousand miles is one mile | 
| 食い物と念仏は一口ずつ | One bite of food and one bite of prayer | 
| 千日の旱魃に一日の洪水 | A thousand days of drought and a day of flooding | 
| 梅一輪一輪ずつの暖かさ | One plum blossom the warmth of each single flower | 
| 聞いた百文より見た一文 | Better to see it once than to hear it a hundred times | 
| 門松は冥途の旅の一里塚 | Kadomatsu is a milestone on the journey to the underworld | 
| 門松は冥土の旅の一里塚 | Kadomatsu is a milestone on the journey to the underworld | 
| 一寸の光陰軽んずべからず | One moment should not be wasted | 
| 一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く | Laughs at a penny crying at a penny | 
| 一葉目を蔽えば泰山を見ず | Blinded by a leaf not viewing mt taishan | 
| 月雪花は一度に眺められぬ | The moon snow and flowers cannot be seen all at the same time | 
| 三度の火事より一度の後家 | Three fires are better than one bereavement | 
| 思う事一つ叶えばまた一つ | One thought comes true another is born | 
| 小姑一人は鬼千匹にむかう | One sister-in-law is as good as a thousand demons | 
| 千金の裘は一狐の腋に非ず | A bag of a thousand gold can not be made out of a single fox's armpit | 
| 長者の万灯より貧者の一灯 | One light of the poor is better than ten thousand lights of the rich | 
| 富は一生の宝知は万代の宝 | Wealth is useful to one's generation wisdom is useful to future generations | 
| 盆と正月が一緒に来たよう | To be as busy as a bee | 
| 万卒は得易く一将は得難し | Easy to hire mediocre people hard to hire good people | 
| 精神一到何事か成らざらん | If there's a will there’s a way | 
| 一日作さざれば一日食らわず | Not work a day not eat a day | 
| 中流に船を失えば一瓢も千金 | If you lose your boat in the middle of the river a gourd is worth a thousand pieces of gold | 
| 朝の一時は晩の二時に当たる | An hour in the morning is equivalent to two hours in the evening | 
| 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず | Runs after two hares and gets neither | 
| 百芸は一芸の精しきに如かず | A hundred arts are no match for the finest of one art | 
| 竜は一寸にして昇天の気あり | Gifted people show their talents from childhood | 
| 一犬形に吠ゆれば百犬声に吠ゆ | One dog barks hundred dogs bark | 
| 一樹の蔭一河の流れも他生の縁 | A tree's shadow a river's stream sharing some of the destiny | 
| 死しての千年より生きての一日 | A day of life is better than a thousand years of death | 
| 適時の一針は九針の手間を省く | A timely stitch saves nine stitches | 
| 時を得た一針は九針の手間を省く | A timely stitch saves nine stitches | 
| 親子は一世夫婦は二世主従は三世 | Parents and children are first generation couples are second generation and employment is third generation | 
| 千人の諾諾は一士の諤諤に如かず | A thousand obedient men will lose to one righteous man | 
| 誰でも自分の荷が一番重いと思う | Everyone thinks their baggage is the heaviest | 
| 聞くは一時の恥聞かぬは一生の恥 | Asking questions is a temporary shame but not asking questions is an eternal shame | 
| 問うは一旦の恥問わぬは末代の恥 | Asking questions is a temporary shame but not asking questions is an eternal shame | 
| 備わらんことを一人に求むるなかれ | Do not seek all things from one person | 
| 母在りて一子寒く母去りて三子寒し | When mother is here the only child is cold but when mother is gone the three children are cold | 
| 二人口は過ごせるが一人口は過ごせぬ | The cost of living for two people is less than for one | 
| 百丈の木に登って一丈の枝より落つる | Climbing high trees and falling from low branches | 
| 千金を買う市あれど一文字を買う店なし | There are markets to buy a thousand dollars but no stores to buy literacy | 
| 親の意見と茄子の花は千に一つも無駄はない | Parents' opinions and eggplant blossoms are not wasted on one in a thousand | 
| 人の一生は重荷を負うて遠き道を行くが如し | A person's life is like a long road travelled with a heavy burden on one's back | 
| 大廈の倒れんとするは一木の支うる所に非ず | A single building collapse cannot be supported by a single piece of wood | 
| 減らぬものなら金百両死なぬものなら子は一人 | If not reduced a hundred gold is enough If not dead one child is enough | 
| 宿取らば一に方角二に雪隠三に戸締り四には火の元 | If you take a lodging the first is direction the second is the bathroom the third is door lock and the fourth is the source of fire | 
| 天才とは一パーセントのひらめきと九十九パーセントの汗である | Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration | 
          
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