貧乏 (びんぼう, binbou) Japanese meaning: poor | Kotomora

貧びん乏ぼう

び

ん

ぼ

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

貧乏する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	貧びん乏ぼうする	貧びん乏ぼうしない
Polite	貧びん乏ぼうします	貧びん乏ぼうしません
Past polite	貧びん乏ぼうしました	貧びん乏ぼうしませんでした
Past	貧びん乏ぼうした	貧びん乏ぼうしなかった
Te-form	貧びん乏ぼうして	貧びん乏ぼうしないで
Desire	貧びん乏ぼうしたい	貧びん乏ぼうしたくない
Potential	貧びん乏ぼうできる	貧びん乏ぼうできない
Passive	貧びん乏ぼうされる	貧びん乏ぼうされない
Causative	貧びん乏ぼうさせる	貧びん乏ぼうさせない
Causative passive	貧びん乏ぼうさせられる	貧びん乏ぼうさせられない
Volitional	貧びん乏ぼうしよう
Polite volitional	貧びん乏ぼうしましょう
Imperative	貧びん乏ぼうしろ	貧びん乏ぼうするな
Conditional	貧びん乏ぼうすれば	貧びん乏ぼうしなければ
Tara conditional	貧びん乏ぼうしたら	貧びん乏ぼうしなかったら

Meanings

na-adjective, noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

poor; poverty-stricken; destitute

Describes a state of lacking money or resources. Can be used as a noun, na-adjective, or with する to mean 'to live in poverty'.

彼かれは貧びん乏

Kanji

貧poverty, poor
乏destitution, scarce, limited
之of, this

Related words· 8

貧まずしいN3
貧しい is an i-adjective often used for abstract or material poverty in a broader sense, while 貧乏 is the more colloquial, everyday word focused specifically on lacking money.
貧ひん困こんN1
貧困 is a formal, often statistical or social term for poverty, whereas 貧乏 is personal and everyday, describing an individual's lack of money.
金きん欠けつ
金欠 is casual slang for being temporarily short on cash, while 貧乏 describes a more lasting state of poverty.
貧ひん
貧乏 is the everyday, colloquial word for being poor, while 貧 is a more formal, literary term usually seen in compounds.

Show 4 more

金かねがない
貧乏 is a more formal noun/adjective meaning 'poor' or 'poverty', while 金がない is a casual, direct statement that one currently has no money.
清せい貧ひん
貧乏 is a general, neutral-to-negative term for poverty or being poor, while 清貧 specifically implies a morally upright, self-chosen poverty without greed.
困こん窮きゅう
貧乏 is a plain, everyday word for being poor, whereas 困窮 is a more formal, written term stressing serious hardship.
窮きゅう乏ぼうN1
貧乏 is the everyday, casual word for being poor, whereas 窮乏 is more formal and serious, often used in written or historical contexts.

Opposites

金かね持もちN4
金持ち means 'rich' or 'wealthy', the direct opposite of 貧乏's 'poor'.
裕ゆう福ふくN1
裕福 is a more formal na-adjective meaning 'well-off' or 'affluent', contrasting with the everyday word 貧乏 meaning 'poor'.

Don't confuse with

貧ひん相そう
貧乏 means being actually poor in money or resources, while 貧相 describes only the outward look of poverty, regardless of one's real financial situation.
ケチN3
貧乏 means being poor (lacking money), while ケチ describes an unwillingness to spend money regardless of how much one has.
貧ひん弱じゃくN1
貧乏 shares the kanji 貧 with 貧弱 but specifically means being poor in money, whereas 貧弱 means poor in substance, strength, or quality rather than wealth.

Word family· 17

貧びん乏ぼう人にんN1
poor person; the poor
貧びん乏ぼう神がみ
god of poverty
貧びん乏ぼう性しょう
frugal nature; penny-pinching disposition · worrier's disposition; tendency to fret over trifles
器き用よう

Written forms

貧びん乏ぼうUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
ビンボーUsage4%
- ビンボー
  kana-only spelling

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese word formed from 貧, “poverty,” and 乏, “scarcity.” Historical sources show earlier readings such as ひんぼく and ひんぼう before びんぼう became standard.

貧びん乏ぼう

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions