You can't judge a book by its cover

English

Meaning

It is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone. Sources Wiktionary

This is how you express this idiom across languages and locales.

List

Map

Danish
Sku ikke hunden på hårene
Don't examine the dog by its hair
Finnish
Ei ole koiraa karvoihin katsominen
One shall not choose a dog by its hair
French
L'habit ne fait pas le moine
The habit (religious clothing) doesn't make the monk
Greek
Τα ράσα δεν κάνουν τον παπά
It's not the robe that makes the priest
Hebrew
אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו
Don't look at the jug, but at what's inside it
Hindi
जाति ना पूछो साधु की; पूछ लीजिए ज्ञान
Ask not a saint of his caste; rather, of his knowledge
Italian
L'abito non fa il monaco
The habit (religious clothing) doesn't make the monk
Japanese
看板に偽りなし
The signboard has no lies
Lithuanian
Nespręsk apie knygą iš viršelio
Don't decide about the book from the cover
Spanish
El hábito no hace al monje
The habit (religious clothing) does not make the monk