Horsing Around

Since some time ago we looked at idioms involving cats and dogs, now it is time to get to know more about another animal very close to the human, the horse. Probably the most often used horse idiom in Japan is 馬が合う uma ga au, which means to get on well with one another, be good friends. It stems from the concept of a rider matching with their horse well.

Another popular expression is 馬の耳に念仏 uma no mimi ni nenbutsu – it literally means reading the nenbutsu (Buddhist prayer) into a horse's ear, and more figuratively it could be read as ‘preaching to the deaf’. So, trying to persuade someone in vain, as they will not understand you, because apparently they will not change their mind anyway. The same can be expressed perhaps in a more poetic way with the elegant yojijukugo (four character compound) 馬耳東風 bajitōfū – horse’s ear, eastern wind.

While in English you might be judging a book by its cover, the Japanese can judge a horse by its hair – 毛を見て馬を相す ke wo mite uma wo sōsu – which is something you should avoid doing, by the way. Similarly, you should try not to make too much effort at the very beginning and get too tired later to actually perform the task, which would be 小馬の朝駆け kouma no asagake, the morning gallop of a little horse. Do not be like the little horse. Especially since the word ‘stupid’ is, interestingly, written with the kanji for ‘horse’ and ‘deer’ – 馬鹿 baka.

Written by AL