猫ねこに小こ判ばん

also: ネコにこばん

ね

こ

に

こ

ば

ん

JLPTN1

Meanings

expression

casting pearls before swine; giving something valuable to someone who cannot appreciate it

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression meaning to give something of value to someone who does not understand its worth. Literally 'a gold coin to a cat'.

Kanji

猫cat
小little, small
判judgement, judgment, signature

Related words

豚ぶたに真しん珠じゅ
豚に真珠 and 猫に小判 are nearly interchangeable idioms meaning something valuable is wasted on someone who can't appreciate it, differing only in the animal imagery used.

Built from

猫ねこ+小こ判ばん

Written forms

猫ねこに小こ判ばん
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
ネコに小こ判ばん
Variant with ネコ in katakana; sometimes used for emphasis or stylistic reasons.
ネコにこばん

Etymology

A Japanese proverb literally meaning 'a gold coin to a cat'. The cat cannot appreciate the value of the coin, just as a person without understanding cannot appreciate something valuable. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established idiomatic expression.