Common Italian expression
| Literally | Those who look alike choose each other |
| Meaning | People who are similar tend to be attracted to each other |
| IPA pronunciation | /ki si soˈmiʎʎa si ˈpiʎʎa/ |
Chi si somiglia si piglia
Birds of a feather flock together
Example
Marta e Lorenza amano viaggiare insieme. Chi si somiglia si piglia!
Marta and Lorenza love to travel together. Birds of a feather flock together!
Where does this idiom come from?
There’s another Italian proverb that goes, gli opposti si attraggono, “opposites attract”, which says the exact opposite! Actually, chi si somiglia si piglia has it right.
It likely developed as people noticed that individuals with similar characteristics, interests, or traits tend to become friends or form relationships. Only opposite magnets, calamite, attract each other!
Related lessons
- somigliarsi (to look alike)
- pigliare (to take, to grab)
- impersonal si
- reflexive verbs
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