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Learning Japanese

Japanese Proverbs & Sayings

U no Mane o Suru Karasu



Last update January 5, 2020

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 Click for a text-to-speech sample

A crow pretends to be a cormorant (and dives).

U no Mane o Suru Karasu

鵜の真似をする烏

Words: 鵜 U = cormorant (a bird like a pelican) / の no = genitive joshi particle / 真似 Mane = copying; mimicking / を o = accusative joshi particle / する Suru = do / 烏 Karasu = a crow /

Pronunciation: [woo-noh-mah-neh-oh-sue-roo-kah-rah-sue] 

English Equivalent: bite off more than one can chew / Cut your coat according to your cloth.

Notes: The message here says: Even if a crow tries to dive into the water and catch fish like a cormorant, it's impossible because the crow is not born like that; so don't try to be more than one can be.
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