Ichi-en wo Warau Mono wa Ichi-en ni Naku (一円を笑うものは一円に泣く - Take Care of the Penny)

Ichi-en wo Warau Mono wa Ichi-en ni Naku

You should not treat money carelessly, even if it is a very small amount.

To explain this fact, you can use the Japanese proverb, 'ichi-en wo warau mono wa ichi-en ni naku' (一円を笑うものは一円に泣く).

Since 'ichi' (一) means "one," 'yen' (円) is the Japanese currency unit, 'warau' (笑う) means "laugh," 'mono' (もの) means "person," 'naku' (泣く) means "cry," the literal meaning of this proverb is "Someone who laughs at one yen will cry at one yen."

In other words, this proverb says that
if you treat one yen carelessly, you will be in trouble for that someday.

一円を笑うものは一円に泣く

小さな金額のお金でも、粗末に扱ってはいけません。

この戒めの言葉として、「一円を笑うものは一円に泣く」があります。

「一」は "one"、「円」は日本の通貨単位、「笑う」は "laugh"、「もの」は "person"、「泣く」は "cry" を意味するので、「一円を笑うものは一円に泣く」の文字どおりの意味は "Someone who laughs at one yen will cry at one yen" となります。

一円をわずかな金額だと軽視すると、いつか一円にも困ってしまうようになるということです。