Heeeelp ! (translation)

[Thierry G]

In the proverb

Nigeta inoshishi wa ikai (the pig I failed to catch ...)

what does ikai stand for ?

Many thanks

 

[nice gaijin]

looks like you misheard. Could be "inai" as in, "the wild boar that escaped isn't there," or could also mean "no wild boars got away" depending on the context

 

[Thierry G]

Thanks you
I checked : the proverb really reads as ... iKai
It's about pointing at boasters "I was close to catch such a big boar" (that escaped at the last minute) None can check if true

 

[mdchachi]

Thanks you
I checked : the proverb really reads as ... iKai
It's about pointing at boasters "I was close to catch such a big boar" (that escaped at the last minute) None can check if true

What is your source?

 

[Thierry G]

A collection of japanese proverbs
The main version of the same proverb is "Nigashita sakana wa ookii" [easy to say that] the fish one was about to catch was sooo big ! (= still about boasting)

 

[Toritoribe]

I'm Japanese, but I've never heard that proverb. Google search results say that it's 逃げた猪は大きい Nigeta inoshishi wa ōkii, but it's found only in the following page even for this version.

また、魚以外でも『逃げた猪は大きい』というものもあります。

『逃した魚は大きい』とは言うが、本当にその魚は大きいのか？

From：渡辺知応たかが釣り。されど釣り。私は釣りをあまりやった事がありませんが、とても奥の深いものだと聞きました。どうやら、さまざまなデリケートの心理が交錯するものらしいのですが、、、そんな釣りを題材にしたことわざが幾つか存在します。

www.buddhism-j.com

Anyway, "ikai" doesn't make sense at all, so it must be a typo or something. The most possible one I can think of is a typo of "dekai" (= big).

 

[Thierry G]

Thanks I really appreciate

 

[nice gaijin]

I'm Japanese, but I've never heard that proverb. Google search results say that it's 逃げた猪は大きい Nigeta inoshishi wa ōkii, but it's found only in the following page even for this version.

また、魚以外でも『逃げた猪は大きい』というものもあります。

『逃した魚は大きい』とは言うが、本当にその魚は大きいのか？

From：渡辺知応たかが釣り。されど釣り。私は釣りをあまりやった事がありませんが、とても奥の深いものだと聞きました。どうやら、さまざまなデリケートの心理が交錯するものらしいのですが、、、そんな釣りを題材にしたことわざが幾つか存在します。

www.buddhism-j.com

Anyway, "ikai" doesn't make sense at all, so it must be a typo or something. The most possible one I can think of is a typo of "dekai" (= big).

Dekai makes sense, that would fit in the pattern of boasting.