PhraseNinja

Proverbs

Japanese meaning of 百聞は一見に如かず

ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず (Hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu)

English Translation:

Seeing is believing / A picture is worth a thousand words

Scene:

Meaning & Cultural Context

Meaning:

Seeing something once with your own eyes is better than hearing about it a hundred times. This proverb stresses the value of direct experience over secondhand information.
日本語で読む
人から何度も話を聞くより、自分の目で一度見るほうが確かでよく分かるという教え。実際に体験することの大切さを説いています。

Cultural Context:

Originally from an ancient Chinese history book, it encourages people to go and see things for themselves.
日本語で読む
古代中国の歴史書に由来し、自分の足で現場を見に行くことを勧める言葉です。

Grammar & Learning Points

Grammar Point

如かず (shikazu) is the classical negative of 如く (shiku), "to equal": a hundred hearings do not equal one look.
日本語で読む
「如かず」は古語「如く（しく）」の否定形で「及ばない」という意味。「百聞は一見に及ばない」となります。

Trap for English Speakers

百 and 一 are not exact numbers; they contrast hearing many times with seeing once.
日本語で読む
「百」「一」は正確な回数ではなく、「何度も聞く」と「一度見る」の対比です。

Example

Example 1Basic Example

  1. 写真で見るより、百聞は一見に如かず。実際に京都へ行ってみよう。

    Seeing is believing — instead of looking at photos, let's actually go to Kyoto.

Example 2Applied Example

  1. 敵の砦の噂は聞き飽きた。百聞は一見に如かず、忍びは夜の闇に紛れて自ら偵察に向かった。

    He was tired of rumors about the enemy fort. Seeing is believing — the ninja slipped into the night to scout it himself.

See more →

Quick check

Meaning

What does 「百聞は一見に如かず」 mean?

More questions: Proverbs quiz →