Proverb / Kotowaza
急がば回れ
Taking a safe, indirect route is ultimately faster than a risky shortcut.
If you're in a hurry, go around.
Quick Answer
Taking a safe, indirect route is ultimately faster than a risky shortcut.
- Literal Image
- If you're in a hurry, go around.
- Closest Equivalent
- The longest way round is the nearest way home.
- How to Use It
- Used when advising someone to take a steady, reliable approach instead of cutting corners, especially when time is of the essence.
Meaning
When you are in a rush, you might be tempted to take shortcuts that carry risk. This proverb teaches that choosing a more certain and secure path, even if it seems longer, is ultimately the most efficient way to achieve your goal. Rushing can lead to mistakes or accidents that cause even greater delays.
Literal Image
If you're in a hurry, go around.
Equivalent Proverbs
The longest way round is the nearest way home.
Focuses on the efficiency of the indirect route.
More haste, less speed.
Focuses on the idea that rushing leads to delays.
How to Use It
Used when advising someone to take a steady, reliable approach instead of cutting corners, especially when time is of the essence.
Tone
Cautionary yet practical advice.
Examples
近道を通ったら迷子になった。急がば回れだった。
I took a shortcut and got lost. I should have remembered that sometimes the longest way round is the nearest way home.
基礎を飛ばして応用に進んでも身につかない。急がば回れで地道にやろう。
Skipping the basics to jump to advanced work won't help you learn. Let's take the reliable path and work steadily.
急がば回れというように、確実な方法を選ぶ方が結局は早い。
As the saying goes, choosing the reliable method is ultimately faster.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses familiar verbs with the conditional '-ba' ending and the imperative 'maware'. The grammar reflects idiomatic usage that requires intermediate understanding.
急ぐ
いそぐ / isogu
to hurry
回る
まわる / mawaru
to go around, to detour
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
Do not use this to encourage laziness or unnecessary delays; it specifically refers to choosing the most reliable path during a time of urgency.
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Source Note
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