Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Similar-Sayings

Hi. Here we will see idioms and proverbs with similar meanings in different languages.

In progress

Achievements require patience

language	saying	literal meaning
Amharic	ሮም፡በአንድ፡ቀን፡አልተገነባችም	Rome wasn't built in a day
Arabic	لم تبن روما في يوم	Rome wasn't built in a day
Bulgarian	хубавите неща стават бавно	good things happen slowly
Chinese	冰凍三尺，非一日之寒	three chi of ice is not the result of one day's coldness
Chinese	羅馬不是一日建成的	Rome wasn't built in a day
Danish	Rom blev ikke bygget på en dag	Rome wasn't built in a day
Dutch	Keulen en Aken zijn niet op één dag gebouwd	Cologne and Aachen were not built in a day
Dutch	Rome is niet op één dag gebouwd	Rome wasn't built in a day
English	Rome wasn't built in a day
Esperanto	ne en unu tago elkreskis Kartago	Carthage was not grown in a day
Estonian	Roomat ei ehitatud ühe päevaga	Rome wasn't built in a day
Finnish	ei Roomaakaan päivässä rakennettu	not even Rome was built in a day
French	Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour	Paris wasn't built in a day
French	Rome ne s'est pas faite en un jour	Rome wasn't built in a day
Galician	Roma non se fixo nun día	Rome wasn't built in a day
German	Rom ist nicht an einem Tag erbaut worden	Rome wasn't built in a day
Gujarati	ઉતાવળે આંબા ન પાકે	mangoes should not ripen in haste
Hebrew	רומא לא נבנתה ביום אחד‎	Rome wasn't built in a day
Hungarian	Róma sem egy nap alatt épült	Rome wasn't built in a day either
Icelandic	Róm var ekki byggð á einum degi	Rome wasn't built in a day
Ido	Roma ne konstruktesis dum un dio	Rome wasn't built in a day
Indonesian	Roma tidak dibangun dalam sehari	Rome wasn't built in a day
Irish	i ndiaidh a chéile a thógtar na caisleáin	the castles are built one after another
Italian	Roma non fu fatta in un giorno	Rome wasn't built in a day
Japanese	ローマは一日にして成らず	Rome wasn't built in a day
Korean	로마는 하루 아침에 이루어지지 않았다	Rome wasn't built in a day
Latin	Rōma nōn ūnō diē aedificāta est	Rome wasn't built in a day
Lithuanian	Roma nebuvo pastatyta per dieną	Rome wasn't built in a day
Modern Greek	η Ρώμη δεν χτίστηκε σε μια μέρα	Rome wasn't built in a day
Norwegian Bokmål	Rom ble ikke bygget på en dag	Rome wasn't built in a day
Norwegian Nynorsk	Roma vart ikkje bygd på éin dag	Rome wasn't built in a day
Polish	nie od razu Rzym zbudowano	Rome wasn't built in a day
Polish	nie od razu Kraków zbudowano	Cracow wasn't built in a day
Portuguese	Roma e Pavia não se fizeram num dia	Rome wasn't built in a day
Russian	Москва не сразу строилась	Moscow wasn’t built at once
Scottish Gaelic	chan ann leis a' chiad bhuille a thuiteas a' chraobh	it is not with the first strike that the tree will fall
Spanish	Roma no se hizo en un día	Rome wasn't built in a day
Spanish	no se ganó Zamora en una hora	Zamora was not won in an hour
Swedish	Rom byggdes inte på en dag	Rome wasn't built in a day
Thai	กรุงโรมไม่ได้สร้างเสร็จในวันเดียว	Rome wasn't built in a day
Turkish	sabreden derviş muradına ermiş	the patient dervish achieved his wish
Ukrainian	Рим не одразу збудований	Rome wasn't built immediately
Ukrainian	Київ не відразу збудований	Kyiv wasn't built immediately
Welsh	nid mewn undydd y codwyd Rhufain	Rome wasn't built in a day

Certain benefit is preferable even if it is little

language	saying	literal meaning
Arabic	عصفور في اليد أفضل من عصفورين على الشجرة	a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush
Armenian	փորձված թանը անփորձ մածունի հետ չեն փոխի	seasoned butter will not be exchanged for unseasoned yogurt
Chinese	一鳥在手勝於十鳥在林	a bird in the hand is better than ten in the forest
Croatian	bolje vrabac u ruci nego golub na grani	better a sparrow in the hand than a dove on the branch
Czech	epší vrabec v hrsti, nežli holub na střeše	better a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof
Danish	en fugl i hånden er bedre end ti på taget	a bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof
Dutch	beter één vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht	better one bird in the hand than ten in the sky
English	a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
English	better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
Estonian	parem varblane peos kui tuvi katusel	better a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof
Finnish	parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla	better a hazel grouse in the hand than ten on the branch
French	un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras	a here-you-go is worth more than two you-can-have-it-laters
French	à la main vaut mieux que grue qui vole	a sparrow in hand is worth more than a frying crane
Galician	vale máis paxaro na man que cento voando	a bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred in flight
Georgian	დღევანდელი კვერცხი ჯობია ხვალინდელ ქათამს	today's egg is better than tomorrow's chicken
German	Besser ein Spatz in der Hand als eine Taube auf dem Dach	rather a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof
Hebrew	טוב ציפור אחת ביד משתיים על העץ	rather one bird in the hand two on the tree
Hungarian	jobb ma egy veréb, mint holnap egy túzok	better a sparrow today than a bustard tomorrow
Icelandic	betri er einn fugl í hendi en tveir í skógi	one bird in a hand is better than two in the forest
Italian	meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani	better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
Japanese	明日の百より今日の五十	today's 50 over tomorrow's 100
Korean	손안에 있는 새가 숲속에 있는 두 마리보다 낫다	a bird in the hand is better than two in the forest
Latvian	labāk zīle rokā, nekā mednis kokā	rather a titmouse in hand than a wood grouse in a tree
Luxembourgish	Léiwer e Spatz an der Hand wei eng Dauf um Daach	rather a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof
Macedonian	поарно врапче на рака отколку гулаб на гранка	better a sparrow on a hand than a pigeon on a branch
Maltese	aħjar għasfur f'idejk minn mija fl-ajru	better to have a bird in your hands than a hundred in the air
Modern Greek	κάλλιο πέντε και στο χέρι παρά δέκα και καρτέρει	rather hold five in hand than wait for ten to come
Norwegian Bokmål	én fugl i hånden er bedre enn ti på taket	a bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof
Norwegian Nynorsk	ein fugl i handa er betre enn ti på taket	a bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof
Polish	lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu	a sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon on the roof
Polish	lepszy wróbel w ręku niż cietrzew na sęku	a sparrow in the hand is better than a grouse on the knur
Polish	lepszy wróbel w ręku niż sokół na sęku	a sparrow in the hand is better than a falcon on the knur
Portuguese	mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois voando	one bird in the hand is worth more than two flying
Romanian	nu da vrabia din mână pe cioara de pe gard	don't exchange the sparrow in the hand with the crow on the fence
Russian	не сули журавля в небе, дай синицу в руки	do not promise a crane in the sky, rather give a titmouse into my hands
Scottish Gaelic	's fhearr eun san làimh na deich air iteig	a bird in the hand is better than ten in flight
Serbo-Croatian	боље врабац у руци него голуб на грани / bolje vrabac u ruci nego golub na grani	better a sparrow in the hand than a dove on the branch
Slovak	lepší vrabec v hrsti ako holub na streche	better a sparrow in a handful than a pigeon on a roof
Spanish	más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando	a bird in the hand is worth more than one hundred in flight
Swedish	bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen	better a bird in the hand than ten in the forest
Turkish	bir eldeki kuş çalıdakinin iki misli değerdir	a bird in hand is worth twice as much in a bush
Vietnamese	một con chim trong tay có giá trị hơn hai con trong bụi cây	one bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush
Welsh	gwell bach mewn llaw na mawr gerllaw	better small in hand than large nearby

Destroy one's paths, connections or opportunities

language	saying	literal meaning
Arabic	حرق السفن	burning the ship
Arabic	قطع الجسور	cutting the bridge
Chinese	過河拆橋	cross the river, tear down the bridge
Chinese	破釜沉舟	smash the cooking pots and sink the boats
Dutch	je schepen achter je verbranden	burning your ships behind you
Danish	brænde alle broer	break all bridges
Danish	bryde alle broer	burn all bridges
English	burning one's bridges
French	brûler les ponts	burn the bridges
French	brûler ses vaisseaux	burn his ships
French	faire sauter les ponts	blow up the bridges
German	alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen	burning all bridges behind oneself
Icelandic	brenna allar brýr að baki sér	burn all bridges behind oneself
Icelandic	brjóta allar brýr að baki sér	break all bridges behind oneself
Italian	bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle	burn the bridges behind
Norwegian Bokmål	bryte alle broer	burn all bridges
Norwegian Nynorsk	bryte alle bruer	burn all bridges
Polish	palić za sobą mosty	burn the bridges behind
Portuguese	queimar as pontes	burn the bridges
Russian	сжигать все мосты	burn the bridges
Spanish	quemar los puentes	burn the bridges
Spanish	quemar las naves	burn the ships
Swedish	bränna sina broar	burn the bridges
Swedish	bränna sina skepp	burn their ships

Heavy rain

language	saying	literal meaning
Azerbaijani	tut ucundan, göyə çıx	grab the ends, go to sky
Catalan	ploure a bots i barrals	rain bota bags and barrels
Czech	lít jako z konve	pour from a water can
Dutch	pijpenstelen regenen	rain pipe handles
English	rain buckets
English	rain cats and dogs
Finnish	sataa äkäisiä ämmiä äkeet selässä	rain angry hags with harrows on their back
Finnish	sataa kuin saavista kaataen	rain as if by pouring from a tub
French	pleuvoir des cordes	rain ropes
French	pleuvoir des hallebardes	rain halberds
French	pleuvoir comme vache qui pisse	rain like a cow pissing on a flat rock
German	Bindfäden regnen	rain threads
German	wie aus Eimern schütten	like pouring out of buckets
Hungarian	zuhog, mintha dézsából öntenék	pour from a tub
Icelandic	rigna eldi og brennisteini	rain fire and brimstone
Italian	lać jak z cebra	pour like from a bucket
Italian	piovere a catinelle	rain buckets
Italian	piovere come Dio la manda	rain as God sends it
Japanese	土砂降りになる	become dropping dirt and sand
Mandarin Chinese	傾盆大雨	pour from a basin
Modern Greek	βρέχει με το τουλούμι	rain with the goatskin
Modern Greek	ρίχνει καντάρια	pour kantars
Norwegian Bokmål	regne sinte kjerringer	rain mad hags
Portuguese	chover a cântaros	rain buckets
Portuguese	chover a potes	rain pots
Portuguese	chover canivete	rain pocketknives
Portuguese	o céu vir abaixo	the sky comes down
Romanian	ploua cu găleata	rain with the bucket
Russian	лить как из ведра́	pour like from a bucket
Spanish	llover a cántaros	rain jugs
Spanish	llover a mares	rain seas
Swedish	stå som spön i backen	stand like rods in the ground
Welsh	bwrw hen wragedd â ffyn	[beating/raining] old women with sticks
Yue Chinese	落狗屎	pouring dog poop

Irreversible actions have been taken; the future is determined

language	saying	literal meaning
Arabic	سبق السيف العذل‎	the sword preceded the humiliation
Bulgarian	зарът е хвърлен	the dice have been thrown
Catalan	el dau ha estat tirat	the die has been rolled
Chinese	木已成舟	the wood has already been made into a boat
Croatian	kostky byly vrženy	the dice were rolled
Danish	terningen er kastet	the die is thrown
Dutch	de geest is uit de fles	genie is out of the bottle
English	the die is cast
English	genie is out of the bottle
Esperanto	la ĵetkubo estas ĵetita	the die is thrown
Estonian	liisk on langenud	the die is fallen
Finnish	arpa on heitetty	the die is thrown
French	le sort en est jeté	the fate is thrown
French	les dés sont jetés	the dice are thrown
French	les jeux sont faits	the games are made
Galician	a sorte está botada	the fate is thrown
Georgian	კამათელი გაგორებულია	the dice are rolled
German	die Würfel sind gefallen	the dice are fallen
Hungarian	a kocka el van vetve	the die has been cast away
Icelandic	teningnum er kastað	the die is thrown
Italian	il dado è tratto	the die is thrown
Japanese	賽は投げられた	the dice have been thrown
Korean	주사위는 던져졌다	the dice have been thrown
Latin	ālea iacta est	the die is cast
Macedonian	коцката е фрлена	the die is thrown
Modern Greek	ο κύβος ερρίφθη	the die is thrown
Northern Kurdish	tîr ji kevan pekiya	the arrow has left the bow
Norwegian Bokmål	terningen er kastet	the die is thrown
Norwegian Nynorsk	terningen er kasta	the die is thrown
Persian	تاس‌ها پرتاب شده‌اند‎	the dice have been thrown
Polish	kości zostały rzucone	the dice have been thrown
Portuguese	a sorte está lançada	the fate is cast
Portuguese	os dados estão lançados	the dice are thrown
Romanian	zarul este aruncat	the die is rolled
Russian	жребий брошен	the fate is thrown
Scottish Gaelic	dè a bhios ann, tachraidh e	what will happen will happen
Serbo-Croatian	ко̏цка је бачена / kȍcka je bačena	the dice is thrown
Slovak	kocky sú hodené	the dice are rolled
Slovenian	kọ̑cka je padla	the die is thrown
Spanish	la suerte está echada	the fortune is thrown
Swedish	tärningen är kastad	the dice are thrown
Turkish	zar atıldı	dice rolled
Ukrainian	гральну кістку кинуто	the die is thrown
Ukrainian	жереб кинуто	the fortune is thrown

People who often threat seldom commit it

language	saying	literal meaning
Afrikaans	blaffende honde byt nie	barking dogs don't bite
Albanian	qeni që leh, s'të ha	the dog that barks will not eat you
Basque	zakur zaunkaria nekez hozkaria	barking dog hardly bite
Catalan	gos que lladra, no mossega	dog that barks doesn't bite
Czech	pes, který štěká, nekouše	a dog that barks doesn't bite
Dutch	blaffende honden bijten niet	barking dogs do not bite
English	barking dogs seldom bite
Esperanto	bojanta hundo ne mordas	a barking dog does not bite
Esperanto	ne ĉio batas, kio tondras	not everything thunders strikes
Finnish	haukkuva koira ei pure	a barking dog does not bite
French	chien qui aboie ne mord pas	a dog that barks does not bite
German	Hunde, die bellen, beißen nicht	dogs who bark don't bite
Hungarian	amelyik kutya ugat, az nem harap	the dog that barks does not bite
Italian	can che abbaia non morde	a barking dog doesn't bite
Japanese	弱い犬ほどよく吠る	weak dogs bark more
Korean	짖는 개는 물지 않는다	barking dogs don't bite
Latin	canis sine dentibus vehementius lātrat	a dog without teeth barks more violently
Macedonian	куче што лае, не каса	a dog that barks, does not bite
Malay	anjing menyalak tak menggigit	barking dog doesn't bite
Malayalam	കുരയ്ക്കുന്ന പട്ടി കടിക്കില്ല	a barking dog will not bite
Modern Greek	σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει	a dog that barks doesn't bite
Polish	pies, co bardzo szczeka, nie bardzo kąsa	a dog that barks a lot, doesn't bite much
Portuguese	cão que ladra não morde	dog that barks, doesn't bite
Romanian	câinele care latră nu mușcă	barking dog doesn't bite
Russian	лающая собака не кусает	a barking dog won't bite
Serbian	пас који ла̏је не гризе	a dog that barks doesn't bite
Slovenian	pes, ki laja, ne grize	a dog that barks doesn't bite
Spanish	perro ladrador, poco mordedor	barking dog, not very biting
Swedish	skällande hund bits inte	barking dog does not bite
Tagalog	ang asong tahol nang tahol ay hindi nangangagat	a dog that barks does not bite
Tamil	குரைக்கும் நாய் கடிக்காது	a barking dog does not bite
Telugu	అరిచే కుక్క కరవదు	a barking dog will not bite
Thai	หมาเห่าไม่กัด	barking dog doesn't bite
Turkish	havlayan köpek ısırmaz	the barking dog does not bite

Prevent before it happens

language	saying	literal meaning
Arabic	الوقاية خير من العلاج	prevention is better than cure
Chinese	未雨綢繆	bind the window tightly before it rains
Chinese	防患未然	prevent trouble before it happens
Danish	det er bedre at forebygge end at helbrede	it is better to prevent than to cure
Dutch	voorkomen is beter dan genezen	prevention is better than cure
French	mieux vaut prévenir que guérir	prevention is better than cure
English	prevention is better than cure
German	Vorbeugen ist besser als Heilen	prevention is better than cure
Japanese	予防は治療に勝る	prevention is better than cure
Malay	mencegah lebih baik daripada mengubati	prevention is better than cure
Polish	lepiej zapobiegać niż leczyć	better to prevent than to cure
Portuguese	prevenir é melhor do que remediar	prevention is better than cure
Russian	профилактика лучше лечения	prevention is better than cure

Subordinates take the advantage when their superior is absent

language	saying	literal meaning
Afrikaans	as die kat weg is, is die muis baas	when the cat's away, the mouse is boss
Chinese	山中無老虎，猴子稱大王	when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkeys proclaim themselves kings
Cimbrian	balda di khatz velt, di maüs tåntzan	when the cat is missing, the mice dance
Czech	když kocour není doma, myši mají pré	when the cat's away from home, the mice are having free time
Danish	når katten er ude, spiller musene på bordet	when the cat is out, the mice is playing on the table
Dutch	als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel	when the cat is not at home, the mice dance on the table
English	when the cat's away the mice will play
Esperanto	kiam kato promenas, la musoj festenas	when the cats are gone, the mice feast
Estonian	kui kassid läinud, on hiirtel pidu	when the cats are gone, the mice have a party
Finnish	kun kissa on poissa, hiiret hyppivät pöydällä	when the cat is gone, the mice jump on the table
French	quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent	when the cat isn't there, the mice dance
German	ist die Katze aus dem Haus, tanzen die Mäuse auf dem Tisch	if the cat is out of the house, the mice dance on the table
Hungarian	ha nincs otthon a macska, cincognak az egerek	if the cat is not home, the mice squeak
Icelandic	þegar kötturinn er frá fara mýsnar á stjá	when the cat is gone, the mice go to roost
Irish	nuair a bhíonn an cat amuigh, bíonn na lucha ag rince	when the cat is out, the mice dance
Italian	quando il gatto non c'è, i topi ballano	when the cat is away, the mice play
Japanese	鬼いぬ間の洗濯	laundry when ogres are absent
Japanese	鼬無き間の貂誇り	pride of marten when weasels are absent
Khmer	ឆ្មាមិននៅ កណ្ដុរឡើងរាជ្យ	if cats are not there, mice reign
Kikuyu	hiti ciathiĩ mbwe ciegangara	when hyenas go away, foxes play
Kikuyu	ngatia ciathiĩ hiti cĩeragara	when lions have gone, hyenas dance
Korean	고양이가 없으면 쥐가 살판이 난다	if the cat is not there, the mice will eat
Northern Kurdish	kitik ne li mal e, navê mişkî Evdal e	the kitten is not at home, the mouse's name is Evdal
Latin	audācem reddit fēlis absentia murem	the absence of cat make the mouse bold
Lower Sorbian	gaž jo kócor z domu, ga maju myšy swóju wólu	when the cat's out of the house, the mice will have their will
Luxembourgish	wann d’Kaz fort ass, sinn d’Mais Meeschter	when the cat is gone, the mice are masters
Modern Greek	όταν λείπει η γάτα χορεύουν τα ποντίκια	when the cat is away, the mice dance
Norwegian	når katten er borte, danser musene på bordet	when the cat’s away, the mice are dancing on the table
Persian	در خانه کسی که گربه نباشد موش کدخداست‎	in the house of the one who does not have a cat, there are mice
Polish	gdy kota nie ma, myszy harcują	when the cat is away, the mice play
Portuguese	quando o gato sai, os ratos fazem a festa	when the cat is out, the mice play
Romanian	când pisica nu-i acasă, joacă șoarecii pe masă	when the cat isn't home, the mice are dancing on the table
Russian	без кота мышам раздолье	without the cat, it’s freedom to the mice
Scottish Gaelic	tha fios aig an luch nach eil an cat a-staigh	the mouse knows the cat is not inside
Serbian	где мачке у кући нема ту мишеви коло воде	where there are no cats in the house, there are mice around the water
Spanish	cuando el gato no está los ratones están de fiesta	when the cat is not there the mice are partying
Spanish	cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan	when the cat is not there, the mice dance
Swedish	när katten är borta, dansar råttorna på bordet	when the cat is away, the rats dance on the table
Telugu	రౌతు మెత్తనైతే గుర్రం మూడు కాళ్ళ మీద పరిగెత్తుతుంది	if the rider is soft, the horse runs on three legs
Thai	แมวไม่อยู่ หนูร่าเริง	the cat is away, the mouse is cheerful
Vietnamese	vắng chủ nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm	when the owner is away from home, the chicken will peck the earthenware pot of shrimp