Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
馬の耳に念仏 (umanomimininenbutsu) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
も
馬うま
の
耳みみ
に
念ねん
仏ぶつ
だ
。
No matter how many times I tell him, it's like talking to a wall.
Telling kids about the importance of saving money might be like preaching to the deaf.
Kanji 仏 Buddha, the dead, France Related words 馬ば 耳じ 東とう 風ふう Similar meaning (heedless, indifferent), but more literary and less common in everyday speech.
暖簾のれん に 腕押うでお し Also means a futile effort, but emphasizes lack of resistance rather than inability to understand.
Etymology From the image of chanting a Buddhist prayer (nembutsu) into a horse's ear, where the horse cannot understand its meaning. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional Japanese proverb.
