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不平等 (fubyoudou) Japanese meaning: inequality | Kotomora

不ふ平びょう等どう

ふ

びょ

う

ど

う

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun, na-adjective

inequality; unfairness; disparity

Refers to a lack of equality or fairness in treatment, opportunity, or conditions. Often used in social, economic, or legal contexts.

この法ほう律りつ

は

不ふ

平びょう

等どう

だ

と

思おも

う

。

I think this law is unfair.

男だん女じょの間あいだに不ふ平びょう等どうがあってはいけない。

There must be no inequality between men and women.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉の不ふ平びょう等どうを解かい消しょうするto eliminate inequality in something
政せい府ふは所しょ得とくの不ふ平びょう等どうを解かい消しょうする政せい策さくを進すすめている。
The government is promoting policies to eliminate income inequality.
不平等ふびょうどうな扱とりあつかいを受うけるto receive unequal/unfair treatment
その社しゃ員いんは性せい別べつを理り由ゆうに不ふ平びょう等どうな扱とりあつかいを受うけた。
〈事こと〉に不ふ平びょう等どうが存そん在ざいするfor inequality to exist in something
教きょう育いくの機き会かいには今いまも不ふ平びょう等どうが存そん在ざいする。

Kanji

不negative, non-, bad
平even, flat, peace
等etc., and so forth, class (first)

Related words

不ふ公こう平へいN1
不公平 stresses a lack of impartiality or fairness in a specific decision or situation, whereas 不平等 more often points to broader structural or systemic disparity.
格かく差さN1
格差 simply describes a gap or difference (e.g. in income or status) without necessarily implying it is unjust, while 不平等 explicitly frames the difference as unfair.
不ふ均きん衡こう
不平等 focuses on unfairness or lack of equality in treatment or opportunity, while 不均衡 is a more neutral term for imbalance or disproportion without necessarily implying unfairness.

Opposites

平びょう等どうN3
平等 means 'equality/fairness', while 不平等 (with the negative prefix 不) means the opposite, 'inequality/unfairness'.

Don't confuse with

不ふ公こう平へいN1
不平等 refers to structural inequality in status, rights, or opportunity, while 不公平 refers to a lack of fairness in how a specific matter is handled.

Word family

不ふ平びょう等どう条じょう約やく
unequal treaty
経けい済ざい的てき不ふ平びょう等どう
economic inequality
所しょ得とく不ふ平びょう等どう度ど係けい数すう
income inequality coefficient; Gini coefficient

Built from

不ふ+平びょう等どう

Etymology

Formed from 不 (negative prefix) + 平等 (equality). The kanji 不 means 'not', 平 means 'flat/even', and 等 means 'equal/class'.

The employee received unequal treatment because of their gender.

Inequality still exists in educational opportunities.