Japanese word

貧乏

Pronunciation

Romajibinbō

Meaning

  • na-adjectivepoor

Example

私は今、貧乏です。watashi wa ima bin bō de su

I am poor now.

Illustration for 貧乏 (poor)

More examples

貧乏でも、毎日の生活を楽しんでいます。bin bō de mo mai nichi no sei katsu o tano shi n de i ma su

Even though I am poor, I enjoy my daily life.

Core concept

Refers to having so little money that ordinary living becomes difficult.

Common phrases

  • 貧乏な暮らしbin bō na ku ra shi

    poor lifestyle

  • 貧乏になるbin bō ni na ru

    become poor

Definition in Japanese

金銭が乏しく、生活に必要なものを十分に得られない状態。kin sen ga tobo shi ku sei katsu ni hitsu yō na mo no o jū bun ni e ra re na i jō tai

Word origin

A Sino-Japanese compound, 貧乏 (binbō) is formed from 貧 (hin, "poor") and 乏 (bō, "scarce"), linking poverty with a lack of needed resources.

Usage tips

  • The English word poor has several common meanings, but 貧乏 (binbō) in everyday Japanese focuses on having little money rather than low quality.

Opposites

Related words

  • 貧乏人binbōninpoor personnoun
  • 貧乏性binbōseithrifty naturenoun

Word lists with this word