Japanese idioms about work

Each Japanese idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for work.

  1. 猫の手も借りたい

    neko no te mo karitai

    lit. ‘I’d even borrow a cat’s paws’

    To have a lot of work or problems to deal with at once.

    Elsewhere

  2. 油を売る

    abura o uru

    lit. ‘to sell oil’

    To be very lazy and avoid work.

    Elsewhere

  3. 一石二鳥

    isseki nichō

    lit. ‘one stone, two birds’

    To get two things done with a single action.

    Elsewhere

  4. 頭を抱える

    atama o kakaeru

    lit. ‘to hold one’s head in one’s arms’

    To be stuck and unable to work something out.

    Elsewhere

  5. 画竜点睛

    garyō tensei

    lit. ‘painting a dragon, dotting in the eyes’

    Something extra that makes a good thing even better.

    Elsewhere

  6. 猿も木から落ちる

    saru mo ki kara ochiru

    lit. ‘even monkeys fall from trees’

    Even the most skilled people sometimes make mistakes.

    Elsewhere

Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.