失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうのもと

Meanings

failure is the foundation of success; failure teaches success

A common Japanese proverb encouraging learning from mistakes; often used to console someone after a failure or to promote a growth mindset.

失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうのもとだから、落おち込こまないでまた挑ちょう戦せんしよう。
Failure is the foundation of success, so don't get discouraged and try again.
彼かれは「失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうのもと」と言いって、何なん度ども実じっ験けんを繰くり返かえした。
He repeated the experiment many times, saying 'failure teaches success.'

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

失lose, error, fault
敗failure, defeat, reversal
成turn into, become, get
功achievement, merits, success
元beginning, former time, origin
基fundamentals, radical (chem), counter for machines

Related words

七なな転ころび八や起おき
Another proverb about perseverance; literally 'fall seven times, stand up eight,' emphasizing resilience rather than learning from failure.
失しっ敗ぱい
The noun 'failure' or 'mistake'; the proverb uses this word as its subject.
成せい功こう
The noun 'success'; the proverb presents failure as the source or foundation of success.

Built from

失しっ敗ぱい+成せい功こう

Written forms

失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうのもと
Most common spelling using hiragana もと; widely recognized as the standard form of the proverb.
失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうの元もと
Uses 元, which can mean 'source' or 'origin'; a valid variant but less common than the hiragana spelling.
失しっ敗ぱいは成せい功こうの基もと
Uses 基, meaning 'foundation' or 'basis'; a rarer variant that emphasizes the idea of a foundation for success.

Etymology

A Japanese calque or adaptation of the Western proverb 'failure is the mother of success,' which became popular in Japan during the Meiji era. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is now a firmly established Japanese expression.