[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
十人十色
“ten people, ten colors”
(different strokes for different folks; everyone has his or her own taste; “to each his own”)
Even though there is a large measure of truth to the widespread belief that Japanese conform to the group, this often-heard phrase attests to their awareness of the differences in individual tastes.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/A=female, B=male)
A: Kondo no paatii no ryoori wa nani o tanonda no?
B: Nanika ii mono to itte mo juunin toiro dakara, nakanaka kimaranakute ne. De, kekkyoku iroiro torimazete tanomu koto ni shita n da yo.
A: 今度のパーティーの料理は何をたのんだの？
B: 何がいいものと言っても十人十色だから、なかなか決まらなくてね。で、結局いろいろとりまぜてたのむことにしたんだよ。
A: What kind of food did you order for the party?
B: Since everybody has his or her own taste, we had a hard time deciding, but we finally came up with a menu that offers a lot of variety.
Japanese Idioms
