朱に交われば赤くなる
shu ni majiwareba akaku naru
Do your friends make you a better person – or a worse one? Japanese answers with shu ni majiwareba akaku naru (朱に交われば赤くなる).
I’m Arasen, an elementary school principal and calligrapher in Japan. Shu is the bright vermilion red you see on Japanese shrine gates and in calligraphers’ seals – including mine!
Quick Facts
| Japanese | 朱に交われば赤くなる |
|---|---|
| Reading | しゅにまじわればあかくなる |
| Romaji | shu ni majiwareba akaku naru |
| Literally | If you mix with vermilion, you become red |
| Meaning | People are shaped by the company they keep. |
| Shu | Vermilion – the red of shrine gates (torii), also used for name seals |
| English cousin | He who touches pitch shall be defiled. |
What Does It Mean?
People become good or bad depending on the friends and surroundings they have – so choose good company.
Word by Word
| 朱 | shu – vermilion, a bright red pigment |
|---|---|
| に交われば | ni majiwareba – if you mix with |
| 赤くなる | akaku naru – become red |
Where Does It Come From?
Put something in with vermilion, and it gets dyed red too.
It comes from an old Chinese saying: “Near vermilion, you turn red; near ink, you turn black.”
A Word from Arasen
People become good or bad depending on who they spend time with – that’s the meaning.
Shu means red. Red is a strong color, so if you wash a white towel with something red, it can turn red.
The proverb compares this to people: we are easily influenced by those around us.
Especially, if you hang around with bad friends, you become bad too – advice from people long ago.
(Translated from Arasen’s original Japanese.)
How to Use It
A Short Skit
Hello, Nozomi’s father.
のぞみさんのお父さん、こんにちはOh, Ms. Kagawa, hello.
あ、香川先生、こんにちはNozomi has become so cheerful lately. At school she’s like a different person, playing with lots of friends.
最近、のぞみさん、明るくなりましたね。学校でも人が変わったように、たくさんの友達と遊んでいますよActually, Nozomi started taking dance lessons. The people she met there all seem so cheerful. It’s just like shu ni majiwareba akaku naru.
香川先生、実はのぞみはダンスを習い始めたんです。そこで出会った人達がみんな明るいみたいなんです。まさに朱に交われば赤くなるってやつです。So that’s why!
そうだったんですね“Chan-chan” is the little “ta-da!” sound that closes a comedy skit in Japan.
Example Sentences
- Being with friends who study hard, shu ni majiwareba akaku naru – I started studying more too.
よく勉強する友だちといると、朱に交われば赤くなるで、自分も勉強するようになった。 - Be careful with bad company – shu ni majiwareba akaku naru.
悪い仲間とつき合うと、朱に交われば赤くなるから気をつけよう。
Similar Japanese Proverbs
- 麻の中の蓬Asa no naka no yomogi
“Mugwort among hemp.” Grow among good people, and you grow straight too.
Similar Sayings in English
- He who touches pitch shall be defiled.
- You are the company you keep.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
Russia and Spain say: “Lie down with dogs, and you’ll get up with fleas.” Indonesia: “Mix with thieves and you become a thief; mix with scholars and you become a scholar.”
Quick Quiz
What is shu in this proverb?
- A. A kind of dumpling
- B. The name of a temple
- C. A red pigment (vermilion)
Show the answer
The answer is C. Vermilion dyes everything around it red – just as people influence each other.
Watch the Lesson (in Japanese)
On my YouTube channel “Kyō kara tsukaeru kotowaza kōza” (Proverbs You Can Use from Today), I explain proverbs with short comedy skits. It’s in Japanese – a fun challenge for learners!
Free Worksheet for Teachers
Teaching Japanese? Download a free printable worksheet for this proverb – with the skit, a fill-in-the-blank, a quiz and a writing task (10 proverbs, A4, with answer key).
Read More
- 50 Japanese Proverbs (Kotowaza) with Meanings – all in one place
- Nasake wa Hito no Tame Narazu (情けは人のためならず) – Kindness Is Not Just for Others
- Sannin Yoreba Monju no Chie (三人寄れば文殊の知恵) – Three Heads Make the Wisdom of Monju
- Kaeru no Ko wa Kaeru (蛙の子は蛙) – The Child of a Frog Is a Frog
- 朱に交われば赤くなる（日本語の記事）
- ことわざ 目次（250+ proverbs in Japanese）
