apple does not fall far from the tree

English

Alternative forms

• apple does not fall far from the stem
• apple does not fall far from the trunk
• apple never falls far from the tree

Proverb

the apple does not fall far from the tree

1. A child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.
   • 1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:

     It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"

   • 1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient ‘Where The Action Is’," Pittsburgh Press, 3 July, p. C1 (retrieved 16 Oct 2010):

     It's important that I know what diseases affect other members of your immediate family, because "the apple does not fall far from the tree."

Translations

a child is similar to its parents

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有其父必有其子 (cmn) (yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ), 虎父無犬子 (cmn), 虎父无犬子 (cmn) (hǔfù wú quǎnzǐ) (tigers don't have dogs for sons), 子肖其父 (cmn) (zǐ xiāo qí fù) (the son is like its father)

• Czech: jablko nepadá daleko od stromu (cs)
• Danish: æblet falder ikke langt fra stammen
• Dutch: de appel valt niet ver van de boom (nl)
• Finnish: ei omena puusta kauas putoa (fi), omena ei putoa kauas puusta (fi)
• French: la pomme ne tombe pas loin de l'arbre (fr)
• German: der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm (de)
• Greek: το μήλο κάτω απ' τη μηλιά θα πέσει (el) (to mílo káto ap' ti miliá tha pései)
• Hungarian: nem esik messze az alma a fájától (hu)
• Icelandic: (the apple seldom falls far from the oak) sjaldan fellur eplið langt frá eikinni (is), (the apple seldom falls far from the oak) eplið fellur sjaldan langt frá eikinni (is)
• Italian: la mela non cade lontano dall'albero (it)

• Japanese: 蛙の子は蛙 (ja) (かえるのこはかえる, kaeru-no ko-wa kaeru) (frog's child is a frog)
• Lithuanian: obuolys nuo obels netoli terieda (lt)
• Malay: ke mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tidak ke nasi (ms) (where will the gravy be poured if not the rice)
• Norwegian: eplet faller ikke langt fra stammen (no), være sin far/mor opp av dage (no)
• Polish: niedaleko pada jabłko od jabłoni (pl)
• Portuguese: filho de peixe, peixinho é (pt)
• Russian: яблоко от яблони недалеко падает (ru) (jábloko ot jábloni nedalekó pádajet)
• Serbo-Croatian: iver ne pada daleko od klade (sh), jabuka ne pada daleko od stabla (sh)
• Slovene: jabolko ne pade daleč od drevesa (sl)
• Spanish: de tal palo, tal astilla (es)
• Swedish: äpplet faller inte långt från trädet (sv)
• Thai: ลูกไม้ย่อมหล่นไม่ไกลต้น (th)
• Turkish: armut dibine düşer (tr)

See also

• chip off the old block
• like father, like son

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, ISBN 0-679-44554-4, p. 15.