卑いやしい

い

や

し

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

卑しい · i-adjective

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

Meanings

i-adjective

greedy; avaricious; gluttonous

Strongly negative description of being grasping, especially about money, food, or advantage. Often used in the pattern Xに卑しい.

彼かれは金かねに卑いやしいところがある。
He has a greedy streak when it comes to money.
食たべ物ものに卑いやしい人ひとだと思おもわれたくない。
I don't want people to think I'm greedy about food.

i-adjective

base; vile; despicable; vulgar

Condemns a person's behavior, attitude, language, or methods as morally low, crude, dirty, or unfair. The word itself is not vulgar, but it is strongly disparaging.

人ひとの弱よわみにつけ込こむなんて卑いやしいやり方かただ。
Taking advantage of someone's weakness is a despicable way to act.
彼かれの卑いやしい根こん性じょうが許ゆるせない。
I can't forgive his base character.

i-adjective

lowborn; lowly; of humble status

Refers to low social rank or birth. In modern use this sounds old-fashioned, literary, or class-disparaging rather than neutral.

物もの語がたりの中なかで、彼かの女じょは卑いやしい生うまれだとさげすまれた。
In the story, she was looked down on as being of low birth.

i-adjective

shabby; poor-looking

Describes an outward appearance, clothing, or surroundings as poor and shabby. This use is relatively literary; みすぼらしい is more ordinary in many modern contexts.

彼かれは卑いやしい身みなりで宿やどの戸と口ぐちに立たっていた。
He stood at the inn doorway in shabby clothes.

See all 20 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉に卑いやしいgreedy/grasping about ~
彼かれは金かねに卑いやしい人ひとだ。
He's a person who is greedy for money.
卑いやしい根こん性じょうa base, mean-spirited nature
そんな卑いやしい根こん性じょうは捨すてなさい。
Get rid of that mean-spirited nature.
卑いやしい手しゅ段だんdirty, underhanded means
彼かれは卑いやしい手しゅ段だんで成せい功こうを手てに入いれた。
He achieved success through underhanded means.
卑いやしい身み分ぶんlow social status
彼かれは卑いやしい身み分ぶんから成なり上あがった。
He rose up from a lowly status.
卑いやしい身みなりshabby appearance or clothing
老ろう人じんは卑いやしい身みなりをしていた。
The old man was dressed shabbily.

Expressions

卑いやしからぬrespectable; decent; not vulgar
卑いやしむべきdespicable; contemptible
卑いやしい生うまれlowborn; of humble birth

Kanji

卑lowly, base, vile
賤despise, low-life, poverty

Related words· 7

浅あさましいN1sense 3
浅ましい also condemns shameful, pathetic behavior, often emphasizing pitiful greed or lack of dignity, while 卑しい more broadly covers greed, vulgarity, low status, and shabbiness.
貪どん欲よくN1sense 3
貪欲 is a more neutral or even positive word for greedy/ambitious, while 卑しい carries strong moral contempt for the same trait.
下げ品ひんN3sense 2
下品 directly means vulgar or crude in manners and speech, whereas 卑しい can also mean greedy or socially low, not just crude.
みすぼらしいN1sense 1
みすぼらしい is the everyday word for a shabby, poor-looking appearance, while 卑しい's shabby sense is more literary and can also imply low character.

Show 3 more

下げ種す
卑しい is an adjective describing lowly or vulgar character, while 下種 is a blunt noun/na-adjective used as a direct insult for a person.
汚きたないN5
卑しい describes a person's character as base or contemptible, a more literary word than the everyday 汚い used for mean or underhanded behavior.
卑ひ劣れつN1
卑しい describes a base or vulgar character more generally, while 卑劣 is stronger and specifically condemns sneaky, cowardly conduct.

Opposites

上じょう品ひんN3sense 2
上品 means refined and elegant, the opposite of 卑しい's sense of vulgar or base behavior.
高こう貴き sense 4
高貴 describes noble birth or refined nobility, the opposite of 卑しい's sense of lowborn or humble status.
貴とうといN1
卑しい describes something lowly, base, or unworthy of respect, the opposite of the noble, reverent sense of 貴い.

Don't confuse with

怪あやしいN3
怪しい (suspicious) sounds and looks similar to 卑しい but describes doubtfulness rather than greed or baseness.
優やさしいN5
優しい (kind, gentle) is easily confused with 卑しい by sound and spelling but has an almost opposite, positive meaning.

Word family

卑いやしみ
contempt; scorn; disdain
卑いやしむ
despise; disdain; scorn; look down on
卑いやしめる
despise; look down on; treat with contempt

Written forms

卑いやしいUsage48%
Standard kanji spelling and the high-priority form.
いやしいUsage42%
賤いやしいUsage10%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; recognizable but not normally the form learners should produce.

Etymology

A native Japanese i-adjective written with kanji such as 卑, conventionally associated with lowness or baseness. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.