A piece of old, worn-out cloth, often used for cleaning or as scrap material.
After telling so many lies, his hidden flaws finally started to show.
I tore up an old T-shirt into rags and used them for cleaning.
tattered clothes; rags
Clothing that is worn out, torn, or in poor condition; often implies shabbiness.
He was begging in rags.
noun-modifying (irregular), na-adjective
Describes something in a dilapidated or threadbare state; used prenominally or as a na-adjective.
I live in a run-down apartment.
The beat-up old car broke down.
The poor children walked around wearing ragged clothes.
He wiped his oil-stained hands with a rag.
He has kept driving his beat-up old car with great care.
The towel I used every day has become completely worn out.
欠点 is a neutral word for any flaw or shortcoming, whereas ぼろ suggests a hidden defect one is ashamed of and tries to hide.
disparaging; demeaning; insulting
worn-out; shabby; dilapidated
harsh criticism; trashing; tearing apart · worthless thing; junk; trash
common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
fireweed; burnweed; pilewort
redflower ragleaf; Crassocephalum crepidioides
worn-out; shabby; beat-up
Uperotus clava (species of shipworm)
Usually written in kana; the kanji 襤褸 is rare and difficult.
Katakana variant, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
Rare kanji form; the reading is a jukujikun.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 襤褸 are a jukujikun reading, meaning they were assigned to the existing word ぼろ based on meaning rather than sound.