Japanese proverbs about “Rain”

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June has been coming!
In Japan, June from the lunar calendar is called「水無月（みなづき）」 “Minazuki” and it is now used as another name for June.

水無月(Minazuki)

There are various stories about the origin of “Minazuki”.
One is that “無” does not mean “nothing”, but the adnominal particle that corresponds to “no”, which means “the moon of water”. It is interpreted that June of the lunar calendar, which is the end of the rainy season, was called “Minazuki” because it was the time to supply water to the rice fields.

The other is the opposite meaning, the theory that it is “minazuki” because there is no water.
There is a theory that there is no other water because it draws water in the rice fields, and there is a theory that there is no water because the water dries up due to the heat.

There are many interpretations and it’s interesting!

By the way, all over Japan except Hokkaido is in the rainy season in June, and rainy days continue until July.
Since it is a very humid season, so there are various problems during this period, such as the fact that the hair is easy to spread and difficult to arrange, and that mold tends to form in large quantities
On the other hand, since it is a time of heavy rainfall, it can be said that it is a great opportunity to moisturize the skin with the humidity of the rain and make the skin beautiful.

While there are various opinions, we would like to introduce some proverbs about “rain”.

・「雨に濡れて露おそろしからず」（あめにぬれてつゆおそろしからず）
Meaning: A person who has experienced a great disaster will not be overwhelmed by a little difficulty.

・「雨垂れ石を穿つ」（あまだれいしをうがつ）
Meaning: If you continue to make small efforts patiently, you will surely succeed someday.

・「雨晴れて笠を忘れる」（あめはれてかさをわすれる）
Meaning: After overcoming difficulties, people often forget the graces they have received.

・「雨降って地固まる」（あめふってじかたまる）
Meaning: The bad situation improves because the understanding is deepened after the trouble.

How was it?
Do you have a similar proverb in your country?
Even if they have the same meaning, they may be completely different expressions.
Please try to interact with the people around you about the culture of your country ~

Reference

辞典オンラインことわざ辞典ONLINE.：https://kotowaza.jitenon.jp/
BOXIL：https://boxil.jp/beyond/a5391/

Article author

I’m a teddy bear who loves helping everyone learning Japanese! I know a thing or two about studying and I’m always waiting for you at the TCJ reception. I’ll be sharing fun and easy-to-understand tips about TCJ, Japanese language learning, and Japanese culture. Let’s do our best and enjoy learning Japanese together!

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Japanese proverbs about “Rain”

水無月(Minazuki)