貧乏（びんぼう、binbou）
- poverty

The Japanese word 貧乏 (びんぼう) primarily means "poverty" or "poor". It refers to the state of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. It can also describe a person who is in financial hardship. 貧乏 can encompass a range of situations, from being temporarily short on funds to experiencing chronic economic difficulties.

⚫︎彼は貧乏な暮らしをしている。 Translation: He is living a poor life. ⚫︎貧乏で、新しい服を買う余裕がない。 Translation: Being poor, I don't have enough money to buy new clothes. ⚫︎貧乏学生だったので、いつもお金がなかった。 Translation: Because I was a poor student, I always lacked money.

You can use 貧乏 in various contexts, from describing a general state of poverty to talking about someone's personal financial situation. It can be used both formally and informally. It's important to be mindful of the context when using 貧乏 as it can sometimes be considered a sensitive topic.

貧乏 is typically written with the kanji 貧 (hin, meaning "poor" or "destitute") and the kanji 乏 (bou, meaning "scarce" or "lacking"). The reading is always "binbou" (びんぼう) in hiragana. There are no other standard ways to write this word, nor are there variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ 貧困（ひんこん） - poverty, destitution (more formal) ⚫︎ 困窮（こんきゅう） - poverty, distress, hardship ⚫︎ 貧しい（まずしい）- poor, needy (adjective form of 貧乏)

⚫︎ 金持ち（かねもち） - rich person, wealthy ⚫︎ 富裕（ふゆう） - wealthy, affluent ⚫︎ 裕福（ゆうふく） - wealthy, prosperous

彼は貧乏だけど、いつも明るく振る舞っている。 ・Translation: Although he is poor, he always acts cheerful. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates someone who is in a state of 貧乏 yet maintains a positive attitude.

その会社は貧乏から抜け出すために、新しいビジネスを始めた。 ・Translation: That company started a new business to escape poverty. ・Explanation: This sentence shows the use of 貧乏 in the context of a company striving to overcome financial difficulties.

The word 貧乏 is formed from two kanji. 貧 (hin) means "poor" or "destitute", and 乏 (bou) means "scarce" or "lacking". The combination of these two characters creates the meaning of lacking resources and being in poverty.