貧びん乏ぼう

び

ん

ぼ

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

貧乏する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	貧びん乏ぼうする	貧びん乏ぼうしない
Polite	貧びん乏ぼうします	貧びん乏ぼうしません
Past polite	貧びん乏ぼうしました	貧びん乏ぼうしませんでした
Past	貧びん乏ぼうした	貧びん乏ぼうしなかった
Te-form	貧びん乏ぼうして	貧びん乏ぼうしないで
Desire	貧びん乏ぼうしたい	貧びん乏ぼうしたくない
Potential	貧びん乏ぼうできる	貧びん乏ぼうできない
Passive	貧びん乏ぼうされる	貧びん乏ぼうされない
Causative	貧びん乏ぼうさせる	貧びん乏ぼうさせない
Causative passive	貧びん乏ぼうさせられる	貧びん乏ぼうさせられない
Volitional	貧びん乏ぼうしよう
Polite volitional	貧びん乏ぼうしましょう
Imperative	貧びん乏ぼうしろ	貧びん乏ぼうするな
Conditional	貧びん乏ぼうすれば	貧びん乏ぼうしなければ
Tara conditional	貧びん乏ぼうしたら	貧びん乏ぼうしなかったら

Meanings

na-adjective, noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

poor; poverty-stricken; destitute

Describes a state of lacking money or resources. Can be used as a noun, na-adjective, or with する to mean 'to live in poverty'.

彼かれは貧びん乏ぼうな家いえに生うまれた。
He was born into a poor family.
若わかい頃ころはずいぶん貧びん乏ぼうした。
I lived in considerable poverty when I was young.

See all 57 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

貧びん乏ぼうになるto become poor
事じ業ぎょうに失しっ敗ぱいして貧びん乏ぼうになった。
The business failed and he became poor.
貧びん乏ぼうから抜ぬけ出だすto escape poverty
一いっ生しょう懸けん命めい働はたらいて貧びん乏ぼうから抜ぬけ出だした。
He worked hard and escaped poverty.
貧びん乏ぼうな〈人ひと〉a poor person/family
貧びん乏ぼうな家か庭ていに生うまれた。
He was born into a poor family.
貧びん乏ぼうで〈動どう詞し〉ないtoo poor to do something
貧びん乏ぼうで旅りょ行こうに行いけない。
I'm too poor to go on a trip.

Expressions

学がく者しゃ貧びん乏ぼうgood scholars are seldom rich
貧びん乏ぼう子こ沢だく山さんpoor households have many children
貧びん乏ぼう暇ひまなしthere is no rest for the poor; a poor man has no time for leisure
貧びん乏ぼうに生うまれるbe born poor; be born into poverty
貧びん乏ぼう揺ゆるぎもしないcompletely motionless; totally still
稼かせぐに追おいつく貧びん乏ぼうなしpoverty is a stranger to industry; diligence is the mother of good fortune

Kanji

貧poverty, poor
乏destitution, scarce, limited
之of, this

Related words· 8

貧まずしいN3
貧しい is an i-adjective often used for abstract or material poverty in a broader sense, while 貧乏 is the more colloquial, everyday word focused specifically on lacking money.
貧ひん困こんN1
貧困 is a formal, often statistical or social term for poverty, whereas 貧乏 is personal and everyday, describing an individual's lack of money.
金きん欠けつ
金欠 is casual slang for being temporarily short on cash, while 貧乏 describes a more lasting state of poverty.
貧ひん
貧乏 is the everyday, colloquial word for being poor, while 貧 is a more formal, literary term usually seen in compounds.

Show 4 more

金かねがない
貧乏 is a more formal noun/adjective meaning 'poor' or 'poverty', while 金がない is a casual, direct statement that one currently has no money.
清せい貧ひん
貧乏 is a general, neutral-to-negative term for poverty or being poor, while 清貧 specifically implies a morally upright, self-chosen poverty without greed.
困こん窮きゅう
貧乏 is a plain, everyday word for being poor, whereas 困窮 is a more formal, written term stressing serious hardship.
窮きゅう乏ぼうN1
貧乏 is the everyday, casual word for being poor, whereas 窮乏 is more formal and serious, often used in written or historical contexts.

Opposites

金かね持もちN4
金持ち means 'rich' or 'wealthy', the direct opposite of 貧乏's 'poor'.
裕ゆう福ふくN1
裕福 is a more formal na-adjective meaning 'well-off' or 'affluent', contrasting with the everyday word 貧乏 meaning 'poor'.

Don't confuse with

貧ひん相そう
貧乏 means being actually poor in money or resources, while 貧相 describes only the outward look of poverty, regardless of one's real financial situation.
ケチN3
貧乏 means being poor (lacking money), while ケチ describes an unwillingness to spend money regardless of how much one has.
貧ひん弱じゃくN1
貧乏 shares the kanji 貧 with 貧弱 but specifically means being poor in money, whereas 貧弱 means poor in substance, strength, or quality rather than wealth.

Word family· 17

貧びん乏ぼう人にんN1
poor person; the poor
貧びん乏ぼう神がみ
god of poverty
貧びん乏ぼう性しょう
frugal nature; penny-pinching disposition · worrier's disposition; tendency to fret over trifles
器き用よう貧びん乏ぼう
jack of all trades, master of none
貧びん乏ぼうくじ
short end of the stick; unlucky draw; bad bargain

Show 10 more

貧びん乏ぼう舌じた
poor person's taste; unsophisticated palate
大たい漁りょう貧びん乏ぼう
impoverishment of fishermen due to a bumper catch
豊ほう作さく貧びん乏ぼう
bumper crop poverty; farmers' income decline due to overproduction
貧びん乏ぼう削けずり
pencil sharpened at both ends; sharpening a pencil at both ends
貧びん乏ぼう所じょ帯たい
poor household
貧びん乏ぼう旅りょ行こう
budget travel; traveling on the cheap
貧びん乏ぼうくさい
shabby; dingy; mean-looking; sorry
貧びん乏ぼうゆすり
shaking one's legs; tapping one's foot; fidgeting (of the legs)
貧びん乏ぼうパーマ
braid waves; braid-set curls
貧びん乏ぼう揺ゆるぎ
leg shaking; foot tapping; fidgeting legs · very slight movement

See all 17 in Explore →

Written forms

貧びん乏ぼうUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
ビンボーUsage4%
- ビンボー
  kana-only spelling
- びんぼう
  Katakana spelling used in casual or emphatic contexts.
びんぼうUsage1%
貧之びんぼう
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; not recommended for learners.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese word formed from 貧, “poverty,” and 乏, “scarcity.” Historical sources show earlier readings such as ひんぼく and ひんぼう before びんぼう became standard.