a tiny amount of money; a penny; a cent
Often used in negative or idiomatic expressions to mean not even the smallest amount of money, as in 一文にもならない or 一文無し.
This old furniture would not fetch even a penny if sold.
I lost my wallet and ended up without a penny.
A limited or old-fashioned use of 文 as a character or written mark; modern Japanese usually uses 一字 for ordinary 'one character.'
The 一文 in 一文不通 is explained as meaning 'one written character.'
one mon; one mon coin or unit of currency
Historical currency use: 文 was a premodern Japanese monetary unit, and 一文 refers to one unit of it.
See also: 文
In Edo-period documents, amounts such as one mon and two mon appear.
Doing that isn't even worth a penny of profit.
He didn't pay even a single penny.
total illiteracy; complete inability to read