Translation guide
Describes effort that yields no result, is wasted, or is in vain. Japanese has many vivid expressions for this, ranging from everyday phrases to poetic idioms.
Expressing that an action or effort is futile or produces no result.
The most direct and common way to say 'fruitless effort.' 無駄 means 'waste' or 'futility,' and 努力 means 'effort.'
Trying to persuade him is a fruitless effort.
Literally 'bone-breaking loss.' A common, slightly colloquial phrase for wasted effort, often used when hard work yields nothing.
In the end, it was a fruitless effort.
A more formal or written expression meaning 'to end in vain effort.' 徒労 means 'fruitless labor.'
His efforts ended in fruitless effort.
Literally 'to break a useless bone.' A vivid, slightly informal way to say 'to make a fruitless effort.'
Be careful not to make a fruitless effort.
A classical proverb meaning 'much effort, little result.' Used in formal or literary contexts.
This project was a fruitless effort.
Emphasizing that an attempt is doomed to fail from the start.
Direct translation: 'futile attempt.' 試み means 'attempt' or 'try.'
That's a fruitless effort.
Literally 'to step a useless foot.' Means to make a wasted trip or effort, often used when going somewhere yields nothing.
Proverb: 'pushing against a shop curtain.' Describes an effort that meets no resistance and has no effect, like wrestling with a curtain.
Warning him is a fruitless effort.
Describing a situation where effort has been made but the outcome is zero.
Literally 'to become bubbles on water.' A common idiom meaning efforts vanish without a trace.
My efforts turned into fruitless effort.
Formal expression meaning 'to come to nothing.' Often used in written language.
His efforts were a fruitless effort.
Literary: 'to end as a painted rice cake.' A painted rice cake cannot be eaten, symbolizing something useless despite its appearance.
Describing a task that is not only futile but also repetitive or never-ending.
A Buddhist-influenced metaphor: children stacking stones by the river of the dead, only to have them knocked down by demons. Represents endless, fruitless effort.
This task is a fruitless effort.
無駄な努力 is a neutral, straightforward phrase suitable for most situations. 骨折り損 has a slightly more colloquial, self-deprecating tone and emphasizes the physical or mental strain of the wasted effort.
Direct translations like '果実のない努力' are not natural Japanese. Use the idiomatic expressions provided.
I went all the way there, but it was a fruitless effort.
The plan was a fruitless effort.