1.
willow, willow tree
A deciduous tree of the genus Salix, characterized by its long, slender, drooping branches. Common along rivers and waterways in Japan, and a traditional symbol in Japanese art and literature.
川のそばに柳が生えている。
Willow trees grow by the river.
柳の枝が風に揺れている。
The willow branches are swaying in the wind.
柳の下にいつも泥鰌がいるとは限らない。
There isn't always a loach under the willow.
Proverb meaning that just because something worked once doesn't mean it will work again.
CULTURE:
柳 is a common motif in Japanese art, poetry, and ghost stories. In traditional imagery, drooping willows by water create an atmospheric, slightly eerie mood, and ghosts (幽霊) are often depicted beneath willow trees.
PROVERB:
柳の下にいつも泥鰌はいない — "There isn't always a loach under the willow." Meaning: just because you had luck once in a certain way doesn't mean you can repeat it.
The 柳 is also associated with suppleness and flexibility, as in the expression 柳に風 (willow in the wind), meaning to let things roll off you without resisting.