Uwasa wo Sureba Kage ga Sasu (噂をすれば影がさす – Speak of the Devil and He Shall Appear)

Both

English

Japanese

When you are talking about someone, that person unexpectedly shows up.

ある人の噂をしていると、思いがけず当人がやってくるものです。

The Japanese proverb uwasa wo sureba kage ga sasu (噂をすれば影がさす) represents such a situation.

「噂をすれば影がさす」といことわざは、このことを表しています。

・Uwasa (噂) means “rumor.”
・Sureba (すれば) means “if you do.”
・Kage (影) means “shadow.”
・Sasu (さす) means “to cast.”

「噂」・・・ “rumor”
「すれば」・・・ “if you do”
「影」・・・ “shadow”
「さす」・・・ “to cast”

Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is “If you spread rumors about someone, their shadow is cast.”

すなわち、このことわざの文字どおりの意味は “If you spread rumors about someone, their shadow is cast” となります。

It is a reminder not to gossip or speak ill of others.

人の噂や悪口はあまりしないようにしましょう。