Translation guide
The state of being in short supply; not enough of something. Japanese expresses this through nouns, adjectives, and set phrases depending on what is scarce and the context.
To say that something is scarce or in short supply in a general sense.
The most common and versatile word for 'shortage' or 'insufficiency'. Can be used for tangible and intangible things.
水不足が深刻だ。
Water scarcity is serious.
人手不足で困っている。
We're struggling with a labor shortage.
A more formal term for 'scarcity' or 'dearth', often used in economic or medical contexts.
食料の欠乏が問題になっている。
Food scarcity has become a problem.
A formal, somewhat literary term for 'scarcity' or 'exhaustion of supply', often used in economic reports.
物資が払底している。
Supplies are running scarce.
Referring to the fundamental economic problem of limited resources.
The standard term for 'scarcity' in economics. Refers to the limited nature of resources.
経済学では希少性が重要な概念だ。
Scarcity is an important concept in economics.
Literally 'finiteness of resources', used to describe the idea of scarcity in a more descriptive way.
資源の有限性を理解する必要がある。
We need to understand the scarcity of resources.
Describing items or qualities that are not easily available.
An i-adjective meaning 'rare' or 'uncommon'. Used for things that are not often seen or found.
この地域では水が珍しい。
Water is scarce in this region.
A na-adjective meaning 'rare' or 'scarce', often used for valuable resources or collectibles.
A colloquial phrase meaning 'hard to come by' or 'not easily found'.
こんなに美味しい店はなかなかない。
A restaurant this good is scarce.
Expressing that there is not enough of something specific like time or money.
A versatile pattern meaning 'not enough ~'. Attach to a noun to indicate shortage.
時間が足りない。
Time is scarce.
お金が足りなくて買えない。
I can't buy it because money is scarce.
Literally 'there is no leeway', used to express lack of time, money, or mental capacity.
今は時間の余裕がない。
I have no time to spare right now.
不足 is the most general and commonly used term for shortage. 欠乏 is more formal and often implies a severe lack, especially in medical or economic contexts. 希少性 is specifically the economic concept of scarcity.
Directly translating 'scarcity' as 不足 in all contexts can sound unnatural. For example, 'Time is scarce' is more naturally 時間が足りない rather than 時間の不足がある.
水不足は地球規模の問題だ。
Water scarcity is a global issue.
手頃な住宅の不足が悪化している。
The scarcity of affordable housing is worsening.
The price of scarce metals is soaring.