Japanese meaning of 泣きっ面に蜂
Reading:
なきっつらにはち (Nakittsura ni hachi)
English Translation:
When it rains, it pours / Misfortunes never come singly
Meaning & Cultural Context
Meaning:
This proverb describes a situation where misfortune is followed by further bad luck. Literally, it’s “a bee stings a crying face”—as if things couldn’t get any worse. It’s often used to express sympathy when someone is having a particularly hard time.
悪いことが重なる様子を表すたとえです。泣いている顔にさらに蜂が刺すという情景から、運の悪さや不幸が続く時の同情や嘆きを表現しています。
Cultural Context:
Reflects the Japanese sense that fate or misfortune can be relentless.
不運が重なることへの日本人の諦観が感じられる表現です。
Grammar & Learning Points
Grammar Point
Uses a compound noun structure to express “a bee on a crying face.”
Trap for English Speakers
It’s a metaphor, not about real bees or faces.
Example
Basic Example
終電を逃したうえにスマホまで電池切れ、「泣きっ面に蜂」とはこのことだ。
Missing the last train and a dead phone—when it rains, it pours.
Applied Example
雨に濡れた彼のスニーカーが水たまりに沈む。泣きっ面に蜂、けれど拾った傘が恋の始まりになった。
His soaked sneakers sank into a puddle; misfortunes never come singly, yet the umbrella he found started a romance.