劣ります（おとります、otorimasu）
- to be inferior to

The Japanese word 劣ります (おとります, *otorimasu*) means "to be inferior," "to be worse," "to be of lower quality," or "to be outdone." It describes a situation where something is not as good, strong, skillful, or valuable as something else. It implies a comparison where one thing or person is considered less desirable or effective. The word often carries a sense of disadvantage or being at a lower level. It can be used both objectively and subjectively.

⚫︎彼の英語力は私より劣ります。 Translation: His English ability is inferior to mine. ⚫︎この製品は品質が劣ります。 Translation: This product is of inferior quality. ⚫︎あのチームは経験が劣ります。 Translation: That team is lacking in experience.

⚫︎劣ります is a formal verb, and you'll often encounter it in business settings, formal writing, and polite conversation. ⚫︎It's used when making comparisons and highlighting a deficiency or weakness. ⚫︎It can be used with various subjects, including objects, people, and abstract concepts like skills, quality, or performance. ⚫︎Typically, it's followed by a comparative particle such as より (*yori*, than) or a word denoting what it is compared to. ⚫︎You can use different conjugations of 劣ります depending on the context. For instance, 劣る (*otoru*, to be inferior) is the plain form, 劣ります (*otorimasu*) is the polite form, 劣った (*ototta*, inferior/worse - past tense form), 劣らない (*otoranai*, is not inferior/worse) is the negative form, and so on.

⚫︎The word 劣ります is typically written in kanji as 劣 and read as おと (oto). ⚫︎The verb form is conjugated with the polite ending ます (*masu*), thus 劣ります. ⚫︎The okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) is り (*ri*). ⚫︎There aren't alternative ways to write this word significantly different from this basic structure.

⚫︎下回ります (*shitawarimasu*, to fall short of) ⚫︎及びません (*oyobimasen*, is not as good as/cannot compare to - formal) ⚫︎劣る (*otoru*, to be inferior - plain form) ⚫︎見劣りする (*miotorisuru*, to look inferior) ⚫︎見劣り (*miotori*, looking inferior)

⚫︎優れます (*suguremasu*, to excel/to be superior) ⚫︎勝ります (*masarimasu*, to surpass/to excel) ⚫︎優れている (*sugureteiru*, is excellent/superior)

彼の技術は私より劣りますが、努力家です。 ・Translation: His skills are inferior to mine, but he is a hard worker. ・Explanation: This sentence compares skills using 劣ります while highlighting another positive trait.

このパソコンは性能が劣りますが、値段は手頃です。 ・Translation: This computer's performance is inferior, but the price is reasonable. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the inferiority of the performance.

The kanji 劣 (otsu/otoru) means "inferior," "to be inferior," "to be worse," or "to be less." It's a combination of the radical 少 (shō, little) and the element 力 (chikara, power). The original meaning of 劣suggests something that lacks the necessary power, strength, or quantity, thus falling behind. The verb 劣ります (*otorimasu*) comes from this kanji, with the addition of verb conjugation.