Proverb / Kotowaza
蓼食う虫も好き好き
People's tastes and preferences vary greatly, and there is no accounting for taste.
There are even insects that like to eat water pepper
Quick Answer
People's tastes and preferences vary greatly, and there is no accounting for taste.
- Literal Image
- There are even insects that like to eat water pepper
- How to Use It
- This expression is used when observing someone's unconventional hobbies, relationship choices, or lifestyle preferences.
Meaning
Just as some insects choose to eat the bitter leaves of the water pepper plant, human preferences are diverse. What one person finds unappealing or unusual, another might love, and such choices are a matter of personal inclination rather than a universal standard.
Literal Image
There are even insects that like to eat water pepper
How to Use It
This expression is used when observing someone's unconventional hobbies, relationship choices, or lifestyle preferences.
Tone
Carries a sense of surprise or objective observation about the diversity of human taste.
Examples
蓼食う虫も好き好きで、彼女のどこが良いのか周りには理解できないらしい。
There's no accounting for taste; it seems those around him can't understand what he sees in her.
蓼食う虫も好き好きと言うから、人の趣味にとやかく言うものではない。
They say there's no accounting for taste, so one shouldn't criticize other people's hobbies.
蓼食う虫も好き好きで、あんな辺鄙な場所に住みたがる人もいるものだ。
To each their own—some people actually want to live in such a remote place.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses specific botanical vocabulary like 'tade' and the less formal verb 'kuu'. The doubled word 'sukizuki' is also an idiomatic pattern.
蓼
たで / tade
water pepper (a bitter plant)
食う
くう / kuu
to eat (less formal)
虫
むし / mushi
insect
好き好き
すきずき / sukizuki
matters of taste; preferences
Usage Profile
Usage note: While observational, it can sound slightly dismissive if applied to someone's deeply held personal beliefs.
Misread Risk
Do not assume 'tade' refers to any generic plant; its specific bitterness is essential to the insect metaphor.
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Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.