Edo Iroha Karuta [江戸いろはかるた] is a type of Iroha Karuta that originated in Edo (now Tokyo, Japan). This karuta set consists of 96 cards (48 Yomi-fuda and 48 Tori-fuda) whose theme centers around different proverbs and idioms.
It is also called Inubō Karuta [犬棒かるた, ‘dog stick karuta’], after the proverb, “Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru”.
It is the most widely used Iroha Karuta set.
¶ List of Sayings
Below are the list of all proverbs and idioms in Edo Iroha Karuta, arranged in both Aiueo and Iroha Sequences.
Since there are no words that start with the syllable ん (n), it was replaced with the kanji 京 (kyo).
¶ Aiueo Sequence
| Tori-fuda | Yomi-fuda | English Translation | English Saying Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| あ (a) | Atama kakushite shiri kakusazu | Hiding one’s head without hiding their butt. | The foolish ostrich buries his head in the sand and thinks he is not seen. |
| い (i) | Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru | If the dog walks, it hits a stick. or If the dog walks, it gets hit with a stick. |
The dog that trots about finds a bone. or You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. |
| う (u) | Uso kara deta makoto | Truth that came out of a lie. | Many a true word is spoken in jest. |
| え (e) | Ete ni ho o ageru | Put up a sail at the strongest point. | Strike while the iron is hot. |
| お (o) | Oni ni kanabō | An iron club to a demon. | Giving a strong person something that will make them stronger. |
| か (ka) | Kawaii ko ni wa tabi o sase yo | Let your precious child on a journey. | Spare the rod and spoil the child. |
| き (ki) | Kiite gokuraku mite jigoku | A paradise on hearsay, a hell on sight. | Better to see once than hear a hundred times. |
| く (ku) | Kusai mono ni futa | Putting a lid on something that stinks. | Sweeping something under the carpet. |
| け (ke) | Gei wa mi o tasukeru | Any skill will help oneself. | Learn a trade, for the time will come when you shall need it. |
| こ (ko) | Ko wa sangai no kubikkase | A child who is a shackle of the three worlds. | Children suck the mother when they are young and the father when they are old. |
| さ (sa) | Sanben mawatte tabako ni shiyou | Go around three times and then smoke a cigarette. | Measure three times before cutting once. |
| し (shi) | Shiranu ga hotoke | Not knowing makes you calm like Buddha. | Ignorance is bliss. |
| す (su) | Sui wa mi o kuu | Stylishness eats itself. | A life devoted to pleasure is necessarily short. |
| せ (se) | Se ni hara wa kaerarenu | You can’t trade your belly for your back. | Necessity knows no law. |
| そ (so) | Sōryō no jinroku | The eldest son is most laid-back. | The younger brother has more wit. |
| た (ta) | Tabi wa michidzure yo wa nasake | With a companion in this journey, the world is merciful. | Shared joy is double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow. |
| ち (chi) | Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru | If dust piles up, it will become a mountain. | Light gains make heavy purses. |
| つ (tsu) | Tsukiyo ni kama o nuku | Having a large cauldron stolen under a moonlit night. | Extreme carelessness. |
| て (te) | Teishu no sukina aka eboshi | The husband’s favorite red headdress. | The family goes with what the head of the family wants, even if their taste is odd. |
| と (to) | Toshi yori no hiya mizu | An old man’s cold water. or An old man in cold water. |
Old sacks want much patching. |
| な (na) | Nakittsura ni hachi | A bee on someone’s crying face. | When it rains, it pours. |
| に (ni) | Nikumarekko yo ni habakaru | The hated child outfaces the world. | Ill weeds grow apace. |
| ぬ (nu) | Nusubito no hirune mo ate ga aru | A thief’s nap has a purpose. | A method in one’s madness. |
| ね (ne) | Nen’ni wa nen o ire yo | You’re careful, but be even more careful. | Double-check. |
| の (no) | Nodomoto sugireba atsu-sa wasureru | Once past your throat, you forget the heat. | Danger past, God forgotten. |
| は (ha) | Hana yori dango | Dumplings over flowers. | The belly is not filled with fair words. |
| ひ (hi) | Binbō himanashi | A poor man has no time to spare. | Poverty leaves no leisure. |
| ふ (fu) | Fun wa yaritashi kaku te wa motanu | Wanting to write, but has no hand. | Can’t connect two words together. |
| へ (he) | He o hitte shiri subomeru | After farting, clenching the butt. | Closing the barn door after the horse has left. |
| ほ (ho) | Honeori zon no kutabire mōke | For the price of breaking bones, you gain only exhaustion. | Great pains but all in vain. |
| ま (ma) | Makeru ga kachi | To lose is to win. | Yielding is sometimes the best way of succeeding. |
| み (mi) | Mikara deta sabi | On the blade of your sword comes rust. | You have only yourself to blame. |
| む (mu) | Muri ga tōreba dōri ga hikkomu | When abuse is allowed, righteousness draws back. | When might is right, then justice there is none. |
| め (me) | Me no ue no tankobu | A lump above the eye. | A thorn in one’s flesh. |
| も (mo) | Monzen no kozō narawanu kyō o yomu | The boy who lives at the gate of the temple can recite the sutras even if he has not studied them. | A saint’s maid quotes Latin. |
| や (ya) | Yasumono kai no zeniushinai | Losing money by buying cheap goods. | Buy cheap, buy twice. |
| ゆ (yu) | Yudan taiteki | Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. | Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. |
| よ (yo) | Yoshi no zui kara tenjō o nozoku | Peeking into the ceiling through the marrow of the reed. | To have a narrow view of things. |
| ら (ra) | Raku are ba ku ari | If there is comfort, there is pain. | Take the good with the bad. |
| り (ri) | Richigimono no ko dakusan | A righteous person has many children. | Children are poor men’s riches. |
| る (ru) | Ruri mo hari mo teraseba hikaru | Both lapiz lazuli and glass will shine when illuminated. | Diamonds in the rough. |
| れ (re) | Ryōyaku kuchi ni nigashi | Good medicine tastes bitter in the mouth. | Good advice is often annoying. |
| ろ (ro) | Ron yori shōko | Proof over theory. | Show don’t tell. |
| わ (wa) | Warenabe ni tojibuta | A binding lid on a cracked pot. | Every Jack has his Jill. |
| ゐ (wi) | Imo no nieta mo gozonji nai | Not knowing if the potatoes are boiled. | Naivety. |
| ゑ (we) | En wa inamono ajina mono | The relationship between man and woman is mysterious and beautiful. | Marriages are made in heaven. |
| を (wo) | Oite wa ko ni shitagae | When you get old, obey your children. | Be guided by your children when you are old. |
| 京 (kyo) | Kyō no yume Ōsaka no yume | Dream of Kyoto, dream of Osaka. | - |
¶ Iroha Sequence
| Tori-fuda | Yomi-fuda | English Translation | English Saying Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| い (i) | Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru | If the dog walks, it hits a stick. or If the dog walks, it gets hit with a stick. |
The dog that trots about finds a bone. or You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. |
| ろ (ro) | Ron yori shōko | Proof over theory. | Show don’t tell. |
| は (ha) | Hana yori dango | Dumplings over flowers. | The belly is not filled with fair words. |
| に (ni) | Nikumarekko yo ni habakaru | The hated child outfaces the world. | Ill weeds grow apace. |
| ほ (ho) | Honeori zon no kutabire mōke | For the price of breaking bones, you gain only exhaustion. | Great pains but all in vain. |
| へ (he) | He o hitte shiri subomeru | After farting, clenching the butt. | Closing the barn door after the horse has left. |
| と (to) | Toshi yori no hiya mizu | An old man’s cold water. or An old man in cold water. |
Old sacks want much patching. |
| ち (chi) | Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru | If dust piles up, it will become a mountain. | Light gains make heavy purses. |
| り (ri) | Richigimono no ko dakusan | A righteous person has many children. | Children are poor men’s riches. |
| ぬ (nu) | Nusubito no hirune mo ate ga aru | A thief’s nap has a purpose. | A method in one’s madness. |
| る (ru) | Ruri mo hari mo teraseba hikaru | Both lapiz lazuli and glass will shine when illuminated. | Diamonds in the rough. |
| を (wo) | Oite wa ko ni shitagae | When you get old, obey your children. | Be guided by your children when you are old. |
| わ (wa) | Warenabe ni tojibuta | A binding lid on a cracked pot. | Every Jack has his Jill. |
| か (ka) | Kawaii ko ni wa tabi o sase yo | Let your precious child on a journey. | Spare the rod and spoil the child. |
| よ (yo) | Yoshi no zui kara tenjō o nozoku | Peeking into the ceiling through the marrow of the reed. | To have a narrow view of things. |
| た (ta) | Tabi wa michidzure yo wa nasake | With a companion in this journey, the world is merciful. | Shared joy is double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow. |
| れ (re) | Ryōyaku kuchi ni nigashi | Good medicine tastes bitter in the mouth. | Good advice is often annoying. |
| そ (so) | Sōryō no jinroku | The eldest son is most laid-back. | The younger brother has more wit. |
| つ (tsu) | Tsukiyo ni kama o nuku | Having a large cauldron stolen under a moonlit night. | Extreme carelessness. |
| ね (ne) | Nen’ni wa nen o ire yo | You’re careful, but be even more careful. | Double-check. |
| な (na) | Nakittsura ni hachi | A bee on someone’s crying face. | When it rains, it pours. |
| ら (ra) | Raku are ba ku ari | If there is comfort, there is pain. | Take the good with the bad. |
| む (mu) | Muri ga tōreba dōri ga hikkomu | When abuse is allowed, righteousness draws back. | When might is right, then justice there is none. |
| う (u) | Uso kara deta makoto | Truth that came out of a lie. | Many a true word is spoken in jest. |
| ゐ (wi) | Imo no nieta mo gozonji nai | Not knowing if the potatoes are boiled. | Naivety. |
| の (no) | Nodomoto sugireba atsu-sa wasureru | Once past your throat, you forget the heat. | Danger past, God forgotten. |
| お (o) | Oni ni kanabō | An iron club to a demon. | Giving a strong person something that will make them stronger. |
| く (ku) | Kusai mono ni futa | Putting a lid on something that stinks. | Sweeping something under the carpet. |
| や (ya) | Yasumono kai no zeniushinai | Losing money by buying cheap goods. | Buy cheap, buy twice. |
| ま (ma) | Makeru ga kachi | To lose is to win. | Yielding is sometimes the best way of succeeding. |
| け (ke) | Gei wa mi o tasukeru | Any skill will help oneself. | Learn a trade, for the time will come when you shall need it. |
| ふ (fu) | Fun wa yaritashi kaku te wa motanu | Wanting to write, but has no hand. | Can’t connect two words together. |
| こ (ko) | Ko wa sangai no kubikkase | A child who is a shackle of the three worlds. | Children suck the mother when they are young and the father when they are old. |
| え (e) | Ete ni ho o ageru | Put up a sail at the strongest point. | Strike while the iron is hot. |
| て (te) | Teishu no sukina aka eboshi | The husband’s favorite red headdress. | The family goes with what the head of the family wants, even if their taste is odd. |
| あ (a) | Atama kakushite shiri kakusazu | Hiding one’s head without hiding their butt. | The foolish ostrich buries his head in the sand and thinks he is not seen. |
| さ (sa) | Sanben mawatte tabako ni shiyou | Go around three times and then smoke a cigarette. | Measure three times before cutting once. |
| き (ki) | Kiite gokuraku mite jigoku | A paradise on hearsay, a hell on sight. | Better to see once than hear a hundred times. |
| ゆ (yu) | Yudan taiteki | Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. | Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. |
| め (me) | Me no ue no tankobu | A lump above the eye. | A thorn in one’s flesh. |
| み (mi) | Mikara deta sabi | On the blade of your sword comes rust. | You have only yourself to blame. |
| し (shi) | Shiranu ga hotoke | Not knowing makes you calm like Buddha. | Ignorance is bliss. |
| ゑ (we) | En wa inamono ajina mono | The relationship between man and woman is mysterious and beautiful. | Marriages are made in heaven. |
| ひ (hi) | Binbō himanashi | A poor man has no time to spare. | Poverty leaves no leisure. |
| も (mo) | Monzen no kozō narawanu kyō o yomu | The boy who lives at the gate of the temple can recite the sutras even if he has not studied them. | A saint’s maid quotes Latin. |
| せ (se) | Se ni hara wa kaerarenu | You can’t trade your belly for your back. | Necessity knows no law. |
| す (su) | Sui wa mi o kuu | Stylishness eats itself. | A life devoted to pleasure is necessarily short. |
| 京 (kyo) | Kyō no yume Ōsaka no yume | Dream of Kyoto, dream of Osaka. | - |
¶ Saying Variants
The following lists sayings that are used to replace some of the sayings in the set, and do not include variations in wording of the sayings in the set.
| Tori-fuda | Yomi-fuda | English Translation | English Proverb Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| か (ka) | Kattai no ka sa urami | A patient with leprosy envies a patient with syphilis. | The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. |
| せ (se) | Seite ha koto o shisonjiru | Hastiness leads to failure. | Haste makes waste. |