弱み（よわみ、yowami）
- weakness

The Japanese word 弱み (よわみ, *yowami*) primarily means "weakness", "vulnerability", or "soft spot." It refers to a point where someone or something is susceptible to attack, criticism, or failure. It can describe a person's physical or emotional frailty, a company's business challenges, or an inherent flaw in an object or system. It highlights aspects where someone or something lacks strength or resilience.

⚫︎彼の弱みを突かれた。 Translation: His weakness was exploited. ⚫︎会社は経済状況の弱みに対処しなければならない。 Translation: The company must address its weaknesses in the economic situation. ⚫︎彼女の弱みは、他人を助けたいという強い気持ちだ。 Translation: Her weakness is her strong desire to help others.

This word is used in various contexts to describe any aspect of weakness. It can be used formally or informally. When discussing a person's weaknesses, it can be used to describe their flaws, vulnerabilities, or areas where they struggle. In business or technical contexts, it can refer to the shortcomings or vulnerabilities of a system, process, or product. It is important to note the situation and the context to understand the implication of 弱み.

弱み is typically written in kanji as 弱み, but can also be written in hiragana as よわみ. There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 欠点 (けってん, *ketten*) - fault, defect, shortcoming ⚫︎ 弱点 (じゃくてん, *jakuten*) - weak point ⚫︎ 欠陥 (けっかん, *kekkan*) - defect, deficiency ⚫︎ 不利な点 (ふりなてん, *furina ten*) - disadvantage

⚫︎ 強み (つよみ, *tsuyomi*) - strength ⚫︎ 長所 (ちょうしょ, *chousho*) - strong point, merit ⚫︎ 利点 (りてん, *riten*) - advantage

彼は自分の弱みを克服するために努力している。 ・Translation: He is making an effort to overcome his weaknesses. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 弱み to describe areas where a person is striving to improve.

その企業の弱みは、革新性の欠如です。 ・Translation: That company's weakness is a lack of innovation. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 弱み to describe a weakness in a company's business strategy.

The word 弱み is formed from the kanji 弱 (よわ, *yowa*) meaning "weak," "feeble," or "fragile," and the suffix み (*mi*), which creates a noun and indicates a state or condition. Therefore, 弱み literally translates to "weakness-ness".