Translation guide
Describes effort that yields no result, is wasted, or is in vain. Japanese has many vivid expressions for this, ranging from everyday phrases to poetic idioms.
Expressing that an action or effort is futile or produces no result.
The most direct and common way to say 'fruitless effort.' 無駄 means 'waste' or 'futility,' and 努力 means 'effort.'
彼を説得しようとするのは無駄な努力だ。
Trying to persuade him is a fruitless effort.
Literally 'bone-breaking loss.' A common, slightly colloquial phrase for wasted effort, often used when hard work yields nothing.
結局、骨折り損だった。
In the end, it was a fruitless effort.
A more formal or written expression meaning 'to end in vain effort.' 徒労 means 'fruitless labor.'
彼の努力は徒労に終わった。
His efforts ended in fruitless effort.
Literally 'to break a useless bone.' A vivid, slightly informal way to say 'to make a fruitless effort.'
無駄骨を折らないように気をつけて。
Be careful not to make a fruitless effort.
A classical proverb meaning 'much effort, little result.' Used in formal or literary contexts.
このプロジェクトは労多くして功少なしだった。
This project was a fruitless effort.
Emphasizing that an attempt is doomed to fail from the start.
Direct translation: 'futile attempt.' 試み means 'attempt' or 'try.'
それは無駄な試みだ。
That's a fruitless effort.
Literally 'to step a useless foot.' Means to make a wasted trip or effort, often used when going somewhere yields nothing.
わざわざ行ったのに無駄足を踏んだ。
I went all the way there, but it was a fruitless effort.
Proverb: 'pushing against a shop curtain.' Describes an effort that meets no resistance and has no effect, like wrestling with a curtain.
彼に注意しても暖簾に腕押しだ。
Warning him is a fruitless effort.
Describing a situation where effort has been made but the outcome is zero.
Literally 'to become bubbles on water.' A common idiom meaning efforts vanish without a trace.
努力が水の泡になった。
My efforts turned into fruitless effort.
Formal expression meaning 'to come to nothing.' Often used in written language.
彼の努力は無に帰した。
His efforts were a fruitless effort.
Literary: 'to end as a painted rice cake.' A painted rice cake cannot be eaten, symbolizing something useless despite its appearance.
Describing a task that is not only futile but also repetitive or never-ending.
A Buddhist-influenced metaphor: children stacking stones by the river of the dead, only to have them knocked down by demons. Represents endless, fruitless effort.
この作業は賽の河原の石積みだ。
This task is a fruitless effort.
無駄な努力 is a neutral, straightforward phrase suitable for most situations. 骨折り損 has a slightly more colloquial, self-deprecating tone and emphasizes the physical or mental strain of the wasted effort.
Direct translations like '果実のない努力' are not natural Japanese. Use the idiomatic expressions provided.
計画は画餅に帰した。
The plan was a fruitless effort.