にわか成なり金きん

に

わ

か

な

り

き

ん

Meanings

noun

overnight millionaire; nouveau riche

Refers to someone who has suddenly become rich, often with a nuance of lacking refinement or old money status. The term にわか implies something sudden or makeshift.

彼かれは仮か想そう通つう貨かでにわか成なり金きんになった。
He became an overnight millionaire through cryptocurrency.
にわか成なり金きんの彼かれは、急きゅうに高こう級きゅう車しゃを何なん台だいも買かった。
As a nouveau riche, he suddenly bought several luxury cars.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

成turn into, become, get
金gold
俄sudden, abrupt, improvised

Related words

成なり金きん
成金 alone also means 'nouveau riche' or 'upstart', but にわか成金 emphasizes the suddenness of the wealth.
成なり上あがり者もの
成り上がり者 is a more general term for a self-made person who has risen in status, not necessarily overnight or with the same negative nuance.

Written forms

にわか成なり金きん
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling; the にわか part is usually written in kana.
俄にわか成金なりきん
Kanji spelling for にわか; less common but still seen.

Etymology

Compound of にわか (sudden, makeshift) and 成金 (なりきん, nouveau riche). 成金 itself originates from a shogi term for a promoted pawn, later applied to people who quickly rise in wealth.