やれやれ is an interjection, not an idiom. An idiom is a phrase with a meaning that isn’t literally decipherable from the words which make it up. Something like “it’s raining cats and dogs” to describe heavy rain in English. Or a Japanese example would be 出る杭は打たれる = “the stake that sticks out gets hit” = “if you stand out too much, you’ll be subject to criticism”.
In Japanese, idiomatic proverbs often take the form of four kanji (“Yojijukugo”, 四字熟語). Just google that and you’ll find more than you’ll ever need to know. But they’re usually used as statements on truths of life. In casual, everyday conversation, you’d probably hear idiomatic expressions more often than proverbs (although there’s typically some overlap). I found [this](https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-expressions/) as a quick example of some good ones. But just like English expressions, it’s pretty hard to learn them unless you speak to natives regularly
I really like 目から鱗が落ちる、sometimes it’s just 目からウロコ which basically means seeing or learning something entirely different from what you knew before, causing a significant shift in your thinking or perspective.
一石二鳥 “one stone two birds” – pretty much a direct translation from the English idiom
猫舌 “cat’s tongue” – sensitivity to hot/cold food/drink
顔出し – to show face, drop by
寝耳に水(ねみみにみず)
Something that comes as a shock, like pouring water into someone’s sleeping ear. Also a good tongue twister.
Let me tell you my list from One Piece:
まず Mazu / Toriaezu = Firstly; to begin with とにかく Tonikaku = Put another way Note: Do not confuse ‘Tonikaku’ with ‘Toriaezu’. (‘Kaku’ means ‘angle’. ‘Seen from another angle’). たとえば / 例えば Tatoeba = For example とんでもない Tondemonai = No problem; (also) No way! ふたたび / 再び Futatabi = One more time (equivalent to もう一度)
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アニメから日本語を学ぶな is one I try to live by
他力本願
寝る子は育つ
やれやれ is an interjection, not an idiom. An idiom is a phrase with a meaning that isn’t literally decipherable from the words which make it up. Something like “it’s raining cats and dogs” to describe heavy rain in English. Or a Japanese example would be 出る杭は打たれる = “the stake that sticks out gets hit” = “if you stand out too much, you’ll be subject to criticism”.
In Japanese, idiomatic proverbs often take the form of four kanji (“Yojijukugo”, 四字熟語). Just google that and you’ll find more than you’ll ever need to know. But they’re usually used as statements on truths of life. In casual, everyday conversation, you’d probably hear idiomatic expressions more often than proverbs (although there’s typically some overlap). I found [this](https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-expressions/) as a quick example of some good ones. But just like English expressions, it’s pretty hard to learn them unless you speak to natives regularly
I really like 目から鱗が落ちる、sometimes it’s just 目からウロコ which basically means seeing or learning something entirely different from what you knew before, causing a significant shift in your thinking or perspective.
一石二鳥 “one stone two birds” – pretty much a direct translation from the English idiom
猫舌 “cat’s tongue” – sensitivity to hot/cold food/drink
顔出し – to show face, drop by
寝耳に水(ねみみにみず)
Something that comes as a shock, like pouring water into someone’s sleeping ear. Also a good tongue twister.
Let me tell you my list from One Piece:
まず Mazu / Toriaezu = Firstly; to begin with
とにかく Tonikaku = Put another way
Note: Do not confuse ‘Tonikaku’ with ‘Toriaezu’. (‘Kaku’ means ‘angle’. ‘Seen from another angle’).
たとえば / 例えば Tatoeba = For example
とんでもない Tondemonai = No problem; (also) No way!
ふたたび / 再び Futatabi = One more time (equivalent to もう一度)
空気読めない