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What is the Kanji for 'Scanty' and 'Scarce'? | 乏

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Scanty' and 'Scarce', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Scanty' and 'Scarce' is 乏.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Scanty, Scarce

    Reading

    kunyomiとぼ

    tobo

    onyomiぼう

    bou

    Parts

    丿Katakana no

    Example Word

    貧乏: poor. The Japanese adjectival noun '貧乏 (びんぼう)' means 'poor' in the sense of lacking financial resources. It describes a state of poverty or being impoverished. This word is often used to describe individuals, families, or situations where there is a lack of money or material wealth. For example: he is poor「彼は貧乏だ」(かれはびんぼうだ). We grew up poor「私たちは貧乏に育った」(わたしたちはびんぼうにそだった). It can also be used in compound words like '貧乏人 (びんぼうにん)' (poor person) or '貧乏生活 (びんぼうせいかつ)' (life of poverty). Note that this word carries a neutral to slightly negative connotation and is not typically used in formal contexts.

    Radical

    丿

    Stroke Count

    4

    JLPT

    N1

    Grade

    8

    Frequency

    1139

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    radical

    丿

    Meaning

    Katakana no

    component

Words Using

This kanji is used in 3 words:

    word

    貧乏

    Meaning

    Poor

    word

    乏しい

    Meaning

    Scarce

    word

    貧乏人

    Meaning

    Poor

Kanji Related to Through the Part 丿

These 31 kanji contain the part 丿 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Eight

    kanji

    Meaning

    Nine

    kanji

    Meaning

    Thousand

    kanji

    Meaning

    Moon, Month

    kanji

    Meaning

    River

    kanji

    Meaning

    Person

    kanji

    Meaning

    Woman

    kanji

    Meaning

    Hand

    kanji

    Meaning

    Power

    kanji

    Meaning

    Enter

    kanji

    Meaning

    Before, Previous

    kanji

    Meaning

    Red

    kanji

    Meaning

    White

    kanji

    Meaning

    Few

    kanji

    Meaning

    Younger brother

    kanji

    Meaning

    Self

    kanji

    Meaning

    Fur

    kanji

    Meaning

    Heart

    kanji

    Meaning

    Talent, Age

    kanji

    Meaning

    Sword

    kanji

    Meaning

    Turn

    kanji

    Meaning

    Body, Self

    kanji

    Meaning

    Facing, Yonder

    kanji

    Meaning

    Inevitable, Certain

    kanji

    Meaning

    Lose, Fault

    kanji

    Meaning

    Mediate, Jammed in

    kanji

    Meaning

    Blood

    kanji

    寿

    Meaning

    Longevity, Congratulations

    kanji

    Meaning

    Mean, Lowly

    kanji

    Meaning

    Vermillion

    kanji

    Meaning

    Feel ashamed

Learn the Kanji

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 乏 mean?

乏 means 'Scanty' and 'Scarce'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Junior Highschool, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N1 exam.

To help you master this kanji, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.