Three Monkeys: The Most Popular Order and the Nikkō Sculpture — Why This One?
INTRODUCTION
Three Monkeys, one timeless symbol
The Three Monkeys – “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” – are one of the most recognizable symbols of world culture and a universal ethical metaphor. For centuries, this motif has inspired philosophy, art, religion, and popular culture, with interpretations appearing both in Asia and the West.
The most famous depiction of the Three Monkeys can be found in the sculpture at the Tōshōgū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan. It has become an icon and a model for countless reproductions worldwide.
The question of which sequence of gestures is considered the most popular is not simple at all. To answer it, we need more than a quick look: a historical perspective, a mathematical view of all possible permutations, and a cultural-linguistic analysis that explains why this particular order—rather than any other—has come to be recognized as the canon.
All possible arrangements and their popularity
Mathematically, there are 6 unique arrangements of gestures and names, as shown below (English / Japanese).
| Position | English | Japanese | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | See – Hear – Speak | 見ざる → 聞かざる → 言わざる | Most popular (canon) |
| 2 | Hear – See – Speak | 聞かざる → 見ざる → 言わざる | Common alternative |
| 3 | See – Speak – Hear | 見ざる → 言わざる → 聞かざる | Sporadic variations |
| 4 | Hear – Speak – See | 聞かざる → 言わざる → 見ざる | Nikkō sculpture |
| 5 | Speak – See – Hear | 言わざる → 見ざる → 聞かざる | Very rare |
| 6 | Speak – Hear – See | 言わざる → 聞かざる → 見ざる | Rarest |
Which variants really matter in the world?
1. The canonical version (global and Japanese)
See – Hear – Speak (見ざる → 聞かざる → 言わざる, mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru)
This is the same order found in dictionaries, encyclopedias, online databases, pop culture, emoji, and Unicode (🙈🙉🙊).
It is a deeply established sequence: seeing, hearing, speaking (a human first perceives with sight, then with hearing, and finally responds with words).
The motif spread widely to the West during the Meiji period, and by the 20th century it was almost always described with this same phrase.
A classic example in Polish is: “Nie widzę, nie słyszę, nie mówię (nic złego).”
2. The Nikkō sculpture version (the most famous artistically)
Hear – Speak – See (聞かざる → 言わざる → 見ざる, kikazaru, iwazaru, mizaru)
The arrangement of the Nikkō sculpture, created in the 17th century, is historically the most visually famous, but globally it ranks only 4th in popularity.
This order stems from the narrative concept of the full cycle of 8 panels showing the life of a monkey, rather than from a different understanding of the proverb.
Why this canon?
Sources of the canonical order
The earliest form of this idea comes from Confucian thought in China: “do not look at, do not listen to, do not speak of others’ faults” – Analects of Confucius: see → hear → speak → do.
This order was carried into Japan along with Buddhism, and in this way the Japanese proverb was formed, with the ending -zaru sounding identical to saru (monkey).
The version See – Hear – Speak was already known in Japan in the 17th century — we have source records confirming this.
The English version (“see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”) was imported to the West at the beginning of the 20th century and widely reproduced through pop culture, media, encyclopedias, and later the standardization of emoji.
Why not other sequences?
This particular version maintains melody and simplicity (both in Japanese and in English), makes memorization easier thanks to rhythm, and follows the natural logic of how humans perceive the world.
Other variants are usually used for humor, artistic arrangements, or simply by coincidence (such as the Nikkō carving).
| Position | English | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | See no evil – Hear no evil – Speak no evil | 見ざる → 聞かざる → 言わざる |
| 2 | Hear no evil – See no evil – Speak no evil | 聞かざる → 見ざる → 言わざる |
| 3 | See no evil – Speak no evil – Hear no evil | 見ざる → 言わざる → 聞かざる |
| 4 | Hear no evil – Speak no evil – See no evil | 聞かざる → 言わざる → 見ざる |
| 5 | Speak no evil – See no evil – Hear no evil | 言わざる → 見ざる → 聞かざる |
| 6 | Speak no evil – Hear no evil – See no evil | 言わざる → 聞かざる → 見ざる |
Interpretations and the universality of the symbol
Three monkeys meaning: mental hygiene and minimizing harmful stimuli
In its most benevolent and original version, the symbol encourages: do not feed on evil – do not look (do not seek), do not listen (do not reinforce), do not speak (do not spread). It is a form of mental prevention and ethics of speech.
Moral philosophy and everyday practice
The order See → Hear → Speak forms a micro-decision path: before you speak, think about what you have seen and heard. It is a minimal set of rules leading to wise restraint.
Religious and spiritual context
In Confucian-Buddhist traditions, the emphasis on restraint and purity of intention was strong. The three monkeys became a practical symbol of such restraint.
It is also worth noting that the proverb and gestures of the three monkeys are linked to religious practices in Japan, especially in the Kōshin-machi (庚申待ち) tradition. It was believed that maintaining restraint in seeing, hearing, and speaking protected against evil spirits and served as a form of ethical training for monks and believers.
“Conspiracy of silence” – Western reinterpretation
In Western culture, the symbol is often read critically: “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” as passivity in the face of wrongdoing. This tension between mental hygiene and civic responsibility makes the motif still relevant.
Such an interpretation is also noted by Oxford Reference, emphasizing that in the Anglo-Saxon world the proverb has often functioned ironically since the early 20th century – against those who prefer to ignore evil out of convenience or fear.
Emoji and pop culture – the global cement of the canon
In modern times, the order See → Hear → Speak has also been reinforced technically: emoji 🙈🙉🙊. Their presence in messengers and social media has made the symbol part of everyday life and one of the most recognizable examples of three monkeys meaning worldwide.
Today, this symbol is treated globally as a universal ethical metaphor, not only as an exotic proverb from Japan.
Two orders worth always showing
1. Canonical worldwide and Japanese
EN: See – Hear – Speak
JP: 見ざる – 聞かざる – 言わざる (mizaru – kikazaru – iwazaru)
2. Sculpture from Nikkō
EN: Hear – Speak – See
JP: 聞かざる – 言わざる – 見ざる (kikazaru – iwazaru – mizaru)
3. Other variants
They function mainly as curiosities, artistic arrangements, or wordplay. They do not have a firmly established cultural position and appear rather in art, jokes, souvenirs, or film titles.
In Japanese pop culture, there is sometimes also a so-called fourth monkey – Shizaru (しざる, 不為ざる), symbolizing the principle “do no evil.” This variant occurs as a tourist curiosity, appears in comics, souvenirs, or modern interpretations, but it is not part of the traditional canon of the three monkeys.
Conclusions
The most popular and canonical order
The most popular and canonical order in the world is See → Hear → Speak – shared by both the West and Japan in linguistic tradition. It is the version found in dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and reinforced through emoji 🙈🙉🙊.
The Nikkō sculpture – a unique case
The most famous sculpture (Nikkō Tōshōgū) shows Hear → Speak → See – a unique artistic variant linked to the narrative of the entire cycle about “the life of the monkey.” It is an artistic arrangement, not a linguistic norm.
Mathematics and the meaning of variants
Out of six possible permutations, only two have key significance:
the canonical (See → Hear → Speak),
the artistic one from Nikkō (Hear → Speak → See).
The rest are curiosities, appearing in art, jokes, souvenirs, or film titles.
How to Write the Names Correctly (Multilingual Context)
EN (canonical):
see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
EN – other variants found in literature and pop culture:
hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil
see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil
hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil
speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil
speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil
JP:
見ざる・聞かざる・言わざる (mizaru – kikazaru – iwazaru)
👉 Note: In the original Japanese proverb, there is no word evil. Each form is simply the negation of a verb: 見ざる (not see), 聞かざる (not hear), 言わざる (not speak).
The addition of evil appeared later in Western, especially English, translations to emphasize the ethical and moral dimension. That’s why see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil became the standard in English, reinforced in dictionaries, films, and emoji 🙈🙉🙊.
Common Misconceptions
The Japanese have a different order than the West.
Not in linguistic terms: in Japanese dictionaries and proverbs the order is the same as in the West – See → Hear → Speak. Only the sculpture in Nikkō shows Hear → Speak → See, which is often mistakenly confused with the “proverbial order.”
The first order was established by a specific author.”
No – it is the result of continuous tradition: Chinese classics (Analects) → Japanese proverb → Western popularization → standardization in emoji and pop culture. There is no single “legislator” of the sequence.
The word ‘evil’ is part of the Japanese formula.
No – in the Japanese proverb we simply have negated verbs (“not see / not hear / not speak”). The word evil was added only in Western translations.
Why is See → Hear → Speak the global standard?
Confucian heritage: the oldest order comes from the Confucian canon (see → hear → speak → do).
Japanese tradition: the proverb 見ざる → 聞かざる → 言わざる was fixed in the 17th century with the same sequence.
Western formula: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil appeared in the early 20th century and adopted exactly this order.
Standardization: emoji and Unicode permanently sealed this sequence.
Melodic quality: repetition and rhythm (EN: see/hear/speak; JP: –ざる –ざる –ざる) make it easy to remember, but tradition – not sound – established the canon.
Conclusion: two variants worth mentioning
The most popular worldwide – shared by East and West (linguistically):
EN: See → Hear → Speak
JP: 見ざる – 聞かざる – 言わざる (mizaru – kikazaru – iwazaru)
This is the canonical sequence, confirmed in dictionaries, preserved in proverbs, and reinforced through emoji.
The most famous artwork (Nikkō Tōshōgū):
EN: Hear → Speak → See
JP: 聞かざる – 言わざる – 見ざる (kikazaru – iwazaru – mizaru)
This is the arrangement of the sculpture and artistic composition, not a “linguistic norm.”
FINAL CONCLUSION
See → Hear → Speak is the global standard because it grew out of classical philosophy, became firmly established in the Japanese proverb, and was later adopted and popularized by Western culture. It is the result of a long process shaped by many factors – philosophical, linguistic, and technological – rather than the decision of a single person.
Hear → Speak → See from Nikkō remains a unique artistic variant that continues to attract interest and inspires reflection on how image and word can follow different paths in the history of symbols.
Share your opinion!
When we took a closer look at our own collection of figurines (and yes, we really have quite a lot ), it turned out that… all possible variants exist! From the most common to the truly rare and unique ones.
So here’s our question for you: which order of the Three Monkeys do you like best?
👉 The most popular worldwide – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?
👉 Or maybe the exceptional order from Nikkō?
👉 Or another one that you consider your favorite?
Your opinion will truly make us happy and enrich our perspective on the collection.
📧 Write to us at: welcome [at] threemonkeys.center
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