欠点（けってん、keっten）
- weak point

The Japanese word 欠点 (けってん) means "weak point," "fault," "defect," or "flaw." It refers to a negative aspect, a shortcoming, or an area where something is not perfect. It can apply to people, objects, ideas, or situations. Think of it as a point where something is lacking or could be improved. The term highlights a deficiency or imperfection.

⚫︎彼の欠点は、少しせっかちなところです。 Translation: His weak point is that he is a little impatient. ⚫︎この商品の欠点は何ですか？ Translation: What are the defects of this product? ⚫︎彼女は、自分の欠点を理解している。 Translation: She understands her own flaws.

You can use 欠点 in various contexts when discussing shortcomings. It's suitable for formal and informal situations. Be mindful of the context. Using 欠点 can be direct; depending on the circumstance, a more gentle word might be better.

欠点 is typically written in kanji as 欠点. The reading is けってん in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard.

⚫︎短所 (たんしょ): Weakness, disadvantage ⚫︎弱点 (じゃくてん): Weak point, Achilles' heel ⚫︎弱み (よわみ): Weakness, vulnerability ⚫︎欠陥 (けっかん): Defect, fault (often used for objects or systems) ⚫︎瑕疵 (かし): Defect, blemish (formal)

⚫︎長所 (ちょうしょ): Strength, strong point ⚫︎利点 (りてん): Advantage, merit ⚫︎強み (つよみ): Strength, advantage

彼は、プレゼンテーションのスキルには欠点がありません。 ・Translation: He has no weaknesses in his presentation skills. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 欠点 to state that someone is not deficient in a specific skill.

このプロジェクトの欠点は、予算が少ないことです。 ・Translation: The flaw in this project is that the budget is small. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 欠点 can be used to describe a problem or limitation related to a plan.

The word 欠点 is a compound word. 欠 (ketsu) means "lack," "deficiency," or "missing," and 点 (ten) means "point" or "mark." Therefore, 欠点 directly translates to "missing point" or "point of deficiency," accurately reflecting its meaning. The kanji came from China.