Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

困苦欠乏 (こんくけつぼう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

困こん苦く欠けつ乏ぼう

Meanings

1

noun

hardships and privations

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo (four-character compound) describing a state of severe difficulty and lack of necessities. Formal and somewhat literary.

戦せん時じ中ちゅう、国こく民みんは困こん苦く欠けつ乏ぼうに耐たえ抜ぬいた。
During the war, the people endured hardships and privations.

Kanji

困quandary, become distressed, annoyed
苦suffering, trial, worry
欠lack, gap, fail
乏

destitution, scarce, limited

Similar words

困こん苦く
困苦 alone means 'hardship' or 'suffering', while 困苦欠乏 adds the element of 'lack' or 'privation'.
欠けつ乏ぼう
欠乏 means 'shortage' or 'deficiency'; 困苦欠乏 combines this with the notion of hardship.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 困苦 (hardship) and 欠乏 (shortage, privation). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of pairing related concepts in four-character compounds.