ことわざ

こ

と

わ

ざ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

usually written using kana alone

A short, traditional saying that expresses a common truth or piece of advice. Used in everyday speech and writing.

ことわざUsage65%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 諺 is rare and mainly seen in formal or literary contexts.
諺ことわざUsage35%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing. Learners should recognize it but use the kana spelling.
コトワザUsage1%

格かく言げん
格言 is a more formal or philosophical maxim, often attributed to a specific person, while ことわざ is a traditional, anonymous folk saying.
慣かん用よう句く
慣用句 is an idiomatic phrase whose meaning is not obvious from the individual words, whereas ことわざ is a complete saying with a moral or lesson.

Derived from classical Japanese ことわざ (kotowaza), originally meaning 'words of wisdom' or 'saying'. The kanji 諺 is a Chinese character for 'proverb'.