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Kanji 乏: meanings, readings, and example words.

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Kanji 乏: destitution, scarce, limited

Key takeaways

Kanji 乏: destitution, scarce, limited. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

N1

Meaning

destitutionscarcelimited

On reading

ボウ

Kun reading

とぼ.しいとも.しい

Radical

丿

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 乏

destitution, scarce, limited

Kanji structure breakdown

Structure breakdown

丿 + 之

Mnemonic story

Mnemonic story

This character consists of the 'go' radical (之) with a slash (丿) on top. Imagine a path being cut off while traveling, leading to a lack of supplies or destitution. It is frequently used in the word 'deficiency' (결핍).

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

ボウ
  • 窮乏きゅうぼう

    poverty / destitution

  • 欠乏けつぼう

    shortage / lack / scarcity

  • 貧乏びんぼう

    poverty / poor / destitute

Kun reading

とぼ.しい
  • 乏しいとぼしい

    scarce / limited / meager

Commonly used words

  • 窮乏
    きゅうぼう

    poverty / destitution

  • 欠乏
    けつぼう

    shortage / lack / scarcity

  • 貧乏
    びんぼう

    poverty / poor / destitute

  • 乏しい
    とぼしい

    scarce / limited / meager

Example sentences

Example 1

戦後、日本は深い窮にあった。

Translation

After the war, Japan was in deep poverty.

Example 2

から抜け出すために努力した。

Translation

I worked hard to escape destitution.

Example 3

水の欠で作物が育たない。

Translation

Crops don’t grow due to water shortage.

Example 4

資金の欠で新しい事業が始められない。

Translation

The new business can’t start due to a lack of funds.

Kanji 乏: destitution, scarce, limited | Daily Nihongo