一寸先は闇

Japanese
Kanji in this term
一 寸 先 闇
いち > いっ
Grade: 1		 すん
Grade: 6		 さき
Grade: 1		 やみ
Grade: S

Etymology

一(いっ)寸(すん) (issun, “Japanese classical unit of length equivalent approximately 3.03 cm”) + 先(さき) (saki, “ahead”) + は (ha, topic marker) + 闇(やみ) (yami, “dark”), literally ahead of a bit is dark.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [isːɯ̟̃ᵝɰ̃ sa̠kʲi ɰᵝa̠ ja̠mʲi]

Proverb

一(いっ)寸(すん)先(さき)は闇(やみ) • (issun saki wa yami) 

  1. unpredictable; no one knows what the future holds.
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