[For Elementary School Students] A Four-Choice Proverb Quiz Recommended for Kids

art; craft; performance; accomplishment (context-dependent)

The proverb “Waza wa mi wo tasukeru” (literally, “Art/skill saves the body”) means that having a special skill can help you in times of trouble. Even if you lose your current job, the skills or hobbies you’ve acquired can lead to new work—an apt lesson for today’s society that values diversity. Of course, the effort and study mentioned in other options also become one’s strength, so this proverb teaches the importance of dedicating yourself to something.

head

It means that even if someone thinks they’ve hidden their wrongdoing or flaws, the crucial parts are still exposed, so the truth is quickly revealed. It’s easy to understand if you picture an animal hiding in the grassland with only its head concealed.

Turn around

The proverb “More haste, less speed” means that sometimes a detour is necessary if you want to reach your destination as quickly as possible. When you’re in a hurry, you tend to choose the shortest route even if it involves some risk. But the lesson that it’s more reliable to take the safer, even if longer, path applies not only to physical travel but also to work and study—making it a more efficient approach overall. It’s a guideline well worth remembering.

botamochi (sweet rice cake with red bean paste)

The Japanese proverb “tana kara botamochi” literally means “rice cakes fall from the shelf,” and refers to gaining unexpected good fortune. It comes from an old tale where someone sleeping under a shelf has a botamochi (a sweet rice cake) accidentally fall into their mouth. The phrase is used when something good is obtained without effort or hardship. A similar proverb is “a duck comes carrying green onions,” but that one involves another party and describes their action, so be mindful of the context when using it.

heart

The proverb “oya no kokoro ko shirazu” means that a parent’s love and concern for their child often go unappreciated. Parents worry about their children no matter how old they get, while the children themselves, as they grow, naturally seek to live freely. Becoming independent is a joyful milestone, but this saying also conveys a wish for children to recognize the unseen worries and support their parents provide behind the scenes.

Buddha

There’s a proverb that means “sometimes you’re happier not knowing”: shiranu ga hotoke, literally “not knowing is Buddha.” It teaches that if you remain unaware, you won’t feel irritated, worried, or unsettled by certain things—an idea most of us can relate to to some extent. The saying advises us not to try to know everything, and to keep our distance from things that, even if we did learn about them, would only make us angry.

the open sea

The proverb that means having a narrow perspective, “A frog in a well knows nothing of the great ocean.” It’s a lesson that the frog, who knows only the world inside its small well, is unaware that there is a vast sea outside. It cynically describes people who, confined to their own knowledge and experience, think they know everything. It’s a famous saying that teaches the importance of learning about the wider world if you want to grow.