乏とぼしい

also: ともしい

と

ぼ

し

い

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

乏しい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	乏とぼしい	乏とぼしくない
Polite	乏とぼしいです	乏とぼしくないですalso 乏とぼしくありません
Past polite	乏とぼしかったです	乏とぼしくなかったですalso 乏とぼしくありませんでした
Past	乏とぼしかった	乏とぼしくなかった
Te-form	乏とぼしくて	乏とぼしくなくて
Adverbial	乏とぼしく
Conditional	乏とぼしければ	乏とぼしくなければ
Tara conditional	乏とぼしかったら	乏とぼしくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

scarce; meager; lacking; poor

Describes a shortage of resources, money, talent, or abstract qualities. Often used with nouns like 資源, 才能, 経験, or 生活.

この地ち域いきは水みず資し源げんが乏とぼしい。
This region is scarce in water resources.
彼かれは経けい験けんが乏とぼしいが、やる気きは十じゅう分ぶんだ。
He lacks experience, but he has plenty of motivation.
乏とぼしい収しゅう入にゅうで家か族ぞくを養やしなうのは大たい変へんだ。
It's hard to support a family on a meager income.

See all 38 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉が乏とぼしいfor something to be scarce or in short supply
この地ち域いきは水みずが乏とぼしい。
This region is short of water.
〈物もの〉に乏とぼしいto be lacking in ~
彼かれは経けい験けんに乏とぼしい。
He lacks experience.

Kanji

乏destitution, scarce, limited

Related words· 6

不ふ足そくN3
不足 is a noun/suru-verb stating an objective shortage, while 乏しい is an adjective describing the qualitative state of being scarce or lacking.
貧まずしいN3
貧しい usually refers to poverty or lack of money, while 乏しい covers scarcity of any resource, ability, or quality.
少すくないN5
少ない is a neutral term for a small quantity, while 乏しい adds a nuance of insufficiency or hardship due to the lack.
欠けつ乏ぼうN1
欠乏 is a formal noun/suru-verb for a deficiency (often used in scientific or medical contexts), while 乏しい is the everyday adjective describing scarcity.

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希き薄はくN1
乏しい stresses a shortage or insufficiency of something (money, experience, etc.), whereas 希薄 describes something abstract that is present but too weak or thin, such as awareness or enthusiasm.
貧ひん弱じゃくN1
乏しい focuses on scarcity in amount (of money, resources, experience), while 貧弱 stresses overall poor quality or weakness of substance.

Opposites· 5

豊ほう富ふN3
乏しい means 'scarce/lacking', the direct opposite of 豊富's sense of 'abundant'.
富とむN1
乏しい means 'scarce/lacking', the direct opposite of 富む when describing an abundance of some quality.
ふんだんN1
乏しい means scarce or lacking, the opposite of ふんだん which means plentiful or abundant.

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恵めぐまれるN2
乏しい describes lacking or being scarce in something, the opposite of 恵まれる's sense of being blessed with plenty of it.
豊ゆたかN3
乏しい means scarce or insufficient, the opposite of 豊か's sense of having plenty of something.

Word family

乏とぼしき
poverty; scarcity; lack
乏とぼしくなる
become scarce; run short

Written forms

乏しいUsage95%
- とぼしい
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading とぼしい is the most common.
- ともしい
  Rare reading; learners should prioritize とぼしい.
とぼしいUsage5%
ともしい

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese adjective ともし (乏し), with the modern form とぼしい arising from a sound shift. The kanji 乏 is used for its meaning of 'scarcity'.