How to Read “Who can tell if a crow is male or female?”
tareka karasu no shiyū wo shiran
Meaning of “Who can tell if a crow is male or female?”
“Who can tell if a crow is male or female?” is a proverb that describes things that are extremely difficult to distinguish, even for experts.
Male and female crows look almost identical. Regular people cannot tell them apart, and even experts cannot distinguish them by appearance alone.
Because of this, the proverb is used for situations where it is extremely hard to determine truth from falsehood, good from evil, or better from worse.
People use this expression when facing complex problems or subtle differences that cannot be judged easily. It also shows humility by admitting that you do not know something rather than pretending you do.
Today, this saying applies to judgments that require specialized knowledge or advanced skills. It also fits situations where the truth is too complex to reach a conclusion easily.
The expression teaches us to avoid hasty judgments and reminds us of the importance of being careful.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb in historical texts has not been clearly identified. However, the structure of the phrase reveals an interesting background.
Crows have been familiar birds to Japanese people since ancient times. With their jet-black feathers and group behavior, all crows look the same.
Most importantly, there is almost no visible difference between male and female crows. Even in modern ornithology, distinguishing crow genders by appearance alone is extremely difficult.
DNA testing or specialized observation is necessary.
The phrase “who can” is a rhetorical question. It actually means “no one knows” or “no one can tell” through strong negation.
This expression method appears in Chinese classics. It was also commonly used in old Japanese expressions.
This proverb was born from people’s everyday observations. Even with crows that people see every day, they cannot tell males from females.
This realization that some things are so hard to distinguish created this saying. Crows were chosen as the most familiar and understandable example of something even experts cannot judge.
Interesting Facts
Determining crow gender is still a challenge in modern ornithology. Visual identification is nearly impossible.
Scientists need to combine DNA testing, breeding season behavior observation, and subtle differences in calls. Males tend to be slightly larger, but this overlaps with individual variation and cannot be a reliable criterion.
Similar ideas exist around the world. Different cultures have chosen various examples of indistinguishable things, such as twins or stones of the same color.
Japan’s choice of the familiar crow shows the depth of wisdom born from daily observation.
Usage Examples
- Between these two proposals, who can tell if a crow is male or female? We cannot decide easily which is better.
- Both of their arguments have merit, so honestly, who can tell if a crow is male or female?
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Who can tell if a crow is male or female?” contains deep wisdom about recognizing the limits of human perception.
We face various judgments every day. What is right and what is wrong? Who is good and who is bad? Which choice is best?
But in reality, discerning the essence of things is much harder than we imagine.
Things that look the same on the surface may be very different inside. Conversely, things that look different may be essentially the same.
This proverb has been passed down for generations as a warning against human arrogance. The more knowledge and experience we gain, the more we tend to feel we understand everything.
However, the fact that we cannot even distinguish male from female crows that we see every day teaches us how limited our perception truly is.
Our ancestors knew the importance of acknowledging these limits. The humility to admit what you do not know, the caution to avoid hasty judgments, and the understanding that even experts can be wrong.
These attitudes are needed across all eras. By starting with the premise that perfect judgment is impossible, we may actually come closer to calm and fair judgment.
When AI Hears This
Humans cannot tell male from female crows, but this is not because the information does not exist. Crows perform breeding behavior accurately, so identification information definitely exists in their world.
An important structure is hidden here. The state is “information exists, but the observer cannot access it.”
This same phenomenon occurs with modern AI judgments. For example, even when image recognition AI distinguishes cats from dogs with 99% accuracy, humans often cannot understand “why that judgment was made.”
AI simultaneously processes thousands of features that human vision cannot capture, such as microscopic feather patterns and reflectance rates.
The method crows use to identify gender among their own species likely uses information channels humans cannot perceive. These include ultraviolet feather colors and call frequency patterns.
In information theory, this is called “difference in channel capacity.” When sender and receiver have different frequency bands, information exists but cannot be transmitted.
The essence of this proverb points not to “lack of knowledge” but to “limits of observation methods.”
Today, machines judge more accurately than humans in many situations. We then question “can we trust machine judgment?”
But from the crow’s perspective, humans are the ones who “see but do not see.”
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of “the courage to admit what you do not know.”
In today’s information-saturated society, we easily fall into the illusion that we can answer anything instantly. Search the internet and you will find answer-like things to any problem.
However, the more important the problem, the harder it is to find an answer.
Important decisions at work, complex problems in relationships, social controversies. When facing these, we try to make things black and white too quickly.
But like crow gender, some things truly cannot be distinguished.
What matters is not being ashamed of what you do not know. Rather, admitting “this cannot be judged easily” is proof of honesty.
And having the courage to suspend judgment. Take time to gather information and examine from multiple angles. If you still cannot reach a conclusion, have the flexibility to accept that state.
When you next face a difficult judgment, remember these words. You do not need to rush to an answer.
Admitting “who can tell if a crow is male or female?” is actually the wiser attitude.
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