夫婦喧嘩は犬も食わない

Japanese

Kanji in this term
夫	婦	喧	嘩	犬	食
ふう Grade: 4	ふ Grade: 5	けん > げん Jinmeiyō	か Jinmeiyō	いぬ Grade: 1	く Grade: 2
kan’yōon		kan’on		kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
夫婦ゲンカは犬も食わない

Etymology

Composed of 夫婦喧嘩 (fūfu-genka, “married couple fight, argument, row”) + は (wa, topic particle) + 犬 (inu, “dog”) + も (mo, “even, also”, inclusive particle) + 食わない (kuwanai, “not eat; not take on”, informal; negative form of 食う (kuu)). Literally, "even dogs wouldn't eat a marital dispute", referring to the fact that dogs are thought to eat virtually anything.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟ᵝːɸɯ̟ᵝɡẽ̞ŋka̠ ɰᵝa̠ inɯ̟ᵝ mo̞ kɯ̟ᵝɰᵝa̠na̠i]

Proverb

夫(ふう)婦(ふ)喧(げん)嘩(か)は犬(いぬ)も食(く)わない • (fūfu-genka wa inu mo kuwanai) 

1. “even dogs wouldn't eat a marital dispute” → you should not interfere in a marital dispute

   Synonym: (uncommon) 夫婦喧嘩は犬も食べない (fūfu-genka wa inu mo tabenai)