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凡器 (ぼんき, bonki) Japanese meaning: ordinary talent | Kotomora

凡ぼん器き

ぼ

ん

き

Meanings

1

ordinary talent; mediocre ability

Refers to a person of average or unremarkable talent. Often used in self-deprecating or modest contexts.

自じ分ぶんは凡ぼん器きに過すぎないと感かんじている。
I feel that I am nothing more than a person of ordinary talent.

Kanji

凡commonplace, ordinary, mediocre
器utensil, vessel, receptacle

Related words

凡ぼん人じん
凡人 refers to an ordinary person in general, while 凡器 specifically emphasizes lack of exceptional talent or ability.
凡ぼん才さい
凡才 also means mediocre talent, but is more common and neutral; 凡器 is rarer and carries a slightly more literary or self-effacing tone.

Etymology

Compound of 凡 (bon, 'ordinary, mediocre') and 器 (ki, 'vessel, capacity, talent'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern of using 器 to denote a person's caliber.