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卑しむ (いやしむ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
despise ; disdain ; scorn ; look down on
Expresses strong contempt or looking down on someone or something as base or unworthy. Often used in literary or formal contexts; in casual speech, 見下す (みくだす) or 軽蔑する (けいべつする) are more common.
A society that despises poverty is cold-hearted.
Written forms 卑いや しむ Usage 57%
Standard kanji spelling; 卑 carries the meaning of 'base' or 'vulgar'.
いやしむ Usage 27%
Kana spelling is acceptable, especially when the kanji is considered difficult or obscure.
賤いや しむ Usage 16%
Rare variant using 賤 (lowly, humble); not commonly used in modern Japanese.
Kanji 賤 despise, low-life, poverty Similar words 見み 下くだ す More common in everyday speech; literally 'look down', similar in meaning but less literary than 卑しむ.
軽けい 蔑べつ する Common suru-verb for 'despise' or 'contempt'; more neutral register, widely used in both spoken and written Japanese.
蔑さげす む Also means 'to scorn' or 'to despise'; similar literary tone, but 卑しむ emphasizes baseness or vulgarity more strongly.
Etymology Derived from the adjective 卑しい (いやしい, 'base, vulgar, greedy') with the verb-forming suffix む, which often adds a sense of 'to regard as' or 'to treat as'. The kanji 卑 carries the core meaning of lowliness or baseness.
