Proverb / Kotowaza
朝飯前
Something very easy that can be accomplished in the brief time before eating breakfast.
Before breakfast
Quick Answer
Something very easy that can be accomplished in the brief time before eating breakfast.
- Literal Image
- Before breakfast
- How to Use It
- Used when expressing confidence that a task is extremely easy to complete.
Meaning
Refers to a task or action that is so simple it requires little effort or time. It suggests that one can finish the job even while hungry or in the short interval before starting the day's first meal.
Literal Image
Before breakfast
How to Use It
Used when expressing confidence that a task is extremely easy to complete.
Tone
This is an informal expression used to show confidence.
Examples
こんな仕事は朝飯前だ。
Work like this is a piece of cake.
彼にとって10キロ走るくらいは朝飯前だ。
Running ten kilometers is nothing for him.
朝飯前に片付けてしまおう。
Let's get this finished in no time.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses basic kanji and words, though the idiomatic meaning is intermediate.
朝飯
あさめし / asameshi
breakfast
前
まえ / mae
before
Usage Profile
Usage note: Using this for a task someone else struggled with may seem dismissive.
Misread Risk
It does not literally require the action to be done in the morning.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
The expression comes from the idea that a task is so easy it can be done even in the short, hungry period before eating breakfast.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
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Source Note
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