卑いやしい

い

や

し

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

i-adjective

greedy; avaricious; gluttonous

Strongly negative description of being grasping, especially about money, food, or advantage. Often used in the pattern Xに卑しい.

彼かれは金かねに卑いやしいところがある。
He has a greedy streak when it comes to money.
食たべ物ものに卑いやしい

人ひと

だ

と

思おも

わ

れ

たく

ない

。

I don't want people to think I'm greedy about food.

i-adjective

base; vile; despicable; vulgar

Condemns a person's behavior, attitude, language, or methods as morally low, crude, dirty, or unfair. The word itself is not vulgar, but it is strongly disparaging.

人ひとの弱よわみにつけ込こむなんて卑いやしいやり方かただ。
Taking advantage of someone's weakness is a despicable way to act.
彼かれの卑いやしい根こん性じょうが許ゆるせない。
I can't forgive his base character.

i-adjective

lowborn; lowly; of humble status

Refers to low social rank or birth. In modern use this sounds old-fashioned, literary, or class-disparaging rather than neutral.

物もの語がたりの中なかで、彼かの女じょは卑いやしい生うまれだとさげすまれた。
In the story, she was looked down on as being of low birth.

i-adjective

shabby; poor-looking

Describes an outward appearance, clothing, or surroundings as poor and shabby. This use is relatively literary; みすぼらしい is more ordinary in many modern contexts.

彼かれは卑いやしい身みなりで宿やどの戸と口ぐちに立たっていた。
He stood at the inn doorway in shabby clothes.

Written forms

卑いやしいUsage48%
Standard kanji spelling and the high-priority form.
いやしいUsage42%
賤いやしいUsage10%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; recognizable but not normally the form learners should produce.

Kanji

卑lowly, base, vile
賤despise, low-life, poverty

Similar words

浅あさましい
Also condemns shameful or contemptible behavior, but often emphasizes pathetic greed or lack of dignity rather than low status.
下げ品ひん
More directly means vulgar, crude, or tasteless in manners, speech, or appearance; 卑しい can additionally mean greedy or socially low.
みすぼらしい
A more common word for shabby or poor-looking appearance, without the moral or greedy meanings of 卑しい.
貪どん欲よく
Means greedy or avid. It can be formal and sometimes positive for ambition, while 卑しい is strongly negative and contemptuous.

Etymology

A native Japanese i-adjective written with kanji such as 卑, conventionally associated with lowness or baseness. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.