Needle in a thatch roof, or...?

[Heijoshin]

I'm wondering if there is, in Nihongo, a phrase similar to "like finding a needle in a haystack."

If so, how would it be translated, and how would that be transliterated using the Roman alphabet?

Thanks-

 

[mdchachi]

Not an idiom but you could say
至難のワザ
shinan no waza

 

[Heijoshin]

Thanks. Which means ... ?

 

[joadbres]

至難の業を英語で・英訳 - 英和辞典・和英辞典 Weblio辞書

 

[joadbres]

There may not be an idiomatic phrase with the exact same nuance (searching for something which is nearly impossible to find) which is native to Japanese. For your purposes, would it be acceptable to use the English idiom translated into Japanese?

If so, you could use something like:
藁の中から針を探す
wara no naka kara hari wo sagasu,

which basically means "searching for a needle among the straw".

 

[Heijoshin]

There may not be an idiomatic phrase with the exact same nuance (searching for something which is nearly impossible to find) which is native to Japanese. For your purposes, would it be acceptable to use the English idiom translated into Japanese?

If so, you could use something like:
藁の中から針を探す
wara no naka kara hari wo sagasu,

which basically means "searching for a needle among the straw".

Perfect.

If there is not a similar saying, directly translating it will serve my purpose well.

Thanks very much!

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

In Japanese English-Japanese dictionary...
"[look] for a nee...の意味・用例｜英辞郎 on the WEB：アルク

無駄骨を折る(mudabonewooru)
to waste one's efforts.
「無駄骨を折る」に関連した英語例文の一覧と使い方 - Weblio英語例文検索

Four-character idiomatic language
大海撈針(taikai roushin)
One needle which fell in the bottom in a sea is picked up.
Very difficult thing,That realization is impossible mostly.
「大海撈針」（たいかいろうしん）の意味

 

[Heijoshin]

Thanks for the link.