Word
不足
Meaning in Englishinsufficiency, shortage
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
What does 不足 mean? It designates a state in which something is not enough to meet needs or expectations; used to describe shortages of resources, time, capacity, or supply in daily life and formal contexts.
Main meanings
- insufficiency or shortage of resources, time, money, or supplies
- deficiency in capacity, skills, or capabilities within a system or organization
- in nutrition or medicine, a deficiency of a nutrient or vitamin
How to use it
Used as a noun in both formal and everyday speech to indicate a shortfall; common in business, economics, education, and government contexts; often appears in compounds such as 不足する, 不足分, 不足感, and in phrases describing needs not being met.
Variants and close terms
- 欠乏 (kettou): deficiency
- 充足 (juusoku): sufficiency
- 不十分 (fujūbun): insufficient
- 不足感 (fusokukan): sense of insufficiency
Composition
- 不: negation or 'not'
- 足: foot or 'enough'; here contributes the sense of sufficiency or lack
- Overall: together they form a compound meaning 'not enough' or 'shortage'
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N3
不幸
fukou
unhappiness, sorrow, misfortune
N3
不思議
fushigi
mystery, curiosity
N3
不自由
fujiyuu
discomfort, disability, inconvenience
N3
不正
fusei
injustice, unfairness
N3
不平
fuhei
complaint, discontent, dissatisfaction
N3
不満
fuman
dissatisfaction, discontent, complaints
N3
不利
furi
disadvantage, drawback
N4
足りる
tariru
be enough, be sufficient
N4
足す
tasu
add, add up
Kanji