KANAE
062Japanese proverb ことわざ

人は見かけによらぬもの

Hito wa mikake ni yoranu mono

“People are not what they seem.”

The meaning

Appearance is a poor guide to heart and talent. Treasures and flaws alike hide beneath deceptive exteriors.

At the origin

A traditional proverb, inverse sister of "clothes dress up even a stable hand".

The characters

  1. hitopeople
  2. watopic marker
  3. 見かけ mikakeappearance
  4. よらぬ
  5. もの

The complete word-by-word reading, in KANAE.

ParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.

In practice

Grant everyone a second impression.

Themes

Similar proverbs

Related expressions

See also