陋
narrowness, meanness, humbleness
Readings
On'yomi
- ロウ
Kun'yomi
- いや.しい
- せま.い
Meaning
陋 centers on being physically cramped or morally small: narrowness of space, meanness of character, or humbleness of station. The three given meanings all point to a lack of breadth or generosity.
Most common words using 陋
- 卑陋ひろう
low rank; wickedness; vulgarity
- 固陋ころう
stubbornly sticking to old ways; dislike of new things; narrow-mindedness
- 固陋頑迷ころうがんめい
obstinate; stubborn; hard-headed; pigheaded; incapable of making sound judgements because of a narrow, inflexible and obstinate mentality
- 狷介固陋けんかいころう
stubbornly sticking to old ways; narrow-mindedly rejecting other people's views
- 陋ろう
narrowness; meanness; humbleness; lowliness
- 陋劣ろうれつ
mean; base; nasty
- 陋屋ろうおく
cramped home; one's humble abode; hovel; pigsty; cottage; squalid hut
- 陋巷ろうこう
narrow, dirty backstreet
- 陋習ろうしゅう
bad habit; evil custom; harmful practice
- 陋見ろうけん
narrow-mindedness
- 頑迷固陋がんめいころう
obstinate; wrong-headed; bigoted
- 頑陋がんろう
stubborn and mean; obstinate and bigoted
Study
Etymology
陋 combines ⻖ (mound, hill) with a phonetic component that also suggests something low or cramped. The exact historical development of the right side is uncertain, but the overall character likely expressed narrowness or lowliness.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side ⻖ is a mound or hill, and the right side looks like a cramped, enclosed space. Picture a narrow alley between hills where only humble, mean-spirited people would live.
Reading mnemonic
For ロウ, imagine a low, narrow tunnel where you have to row a boat through: row -> ロウ, and the cramped space reflects the kanji's meaning of narrowness and humbleness.