叩けば埃が出る たたけばほこりがでる Also written 叩けばホコリが出る Meanings Expression scratch the surface and you will find dirt; look close enough and you will find the flaws (literally: hit something and dust comes out) Kanji 叩 strike. Read as たたく. 埃 dust. Read as ほこり. 出 out. Read as でる. Word lists Proverbs Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists