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一石二鳥 (いっせきにちょう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

一いっ石せき二に鳥ちょう

い

っ

せ

き

に

ちょ

う

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

kill two birds with one stone

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

A yojijukugo meaning to achieve two things with a single action. Used in the same way as the English proverb.

ジョギングで通つう勤きんすれば、健けん康

こう

に

も

なれる

し

交こう

通つう

費ひ

も

節せつ

約やく

でき

て

一いっ

石せき

二に

鳥ちょう

だ

。

Commuting by jogging kills two birds with one stone: you get healthy and save on transportation costs.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
石stone
二two, two radical (no. 7)
鳥bird, chicken

Related words

一いっ挙きょ両りょう得とく
一挙両得 is a nearly interchangeable yojijukugo meaning gaining two benefits from one action, while 一石二鳥 is the more commonly used, proverb-like equivalent of "kill two birds with one stone".

Etymology

A yojijukugo derived from the English proverb 'kill two birds with one stone', which itself has ancient origins. The Japanese form is a direct translation.