Word
貧弱
Meaning in Englishpoor, meager, insubstantial
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
貧弱 means lacking strength, adequacy, or quality; it describes something or someone as feeble, underpowered, or not up to standard when compared to expectations.
Main meanings
- Indicates insufficient power or robustness in a person or device
- Used to describe subpar performance, materials, or design
- Often seen in formal criticism or technical writing to imply vulnerability or fragility
How to use it
Used in formal and semi formal contexts to describe weak quality or performance of a person, device, or plan; commonly appears in product reviews, technical reports, and academic writing; often followed by 貧弱な before a noun to modify it, such as 貧弱な設計.
Variants and close terms
- 乏しい (とぼしい, toboshii) — scarce, meager
- 薄弱 (はくじゃく, hakujaku) — weak, frail
- 脆弱 (ぜいじゃく, zeijaku) — fragile, brittle
- 頑丈 (がんじょう, ganjou) — robust
Composition
- 貧: poverty, lack; signals scarcity
- 弱: weakness, lack of strength
- Combining them yields the sense of weak due to lack of resources or strength
Word class
adjective (na-adjective)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
薄弱
hakujaku
feebleness, weakness, weak
N1
弱
jaku
delicate, supple
N1
貧困
hinkon
poverty, lack
N1
貧乏
bimbou
poverty, destitute, poor
N1
弱る
yowaru
to weaken, to be troubled, to be emaciated
N2
弱点
jakuten
weak point, weakness
N3
貧しい
mazushii
poor, needy
N3
弱まる
yowamaru
to weaken, to be emaciated, to be dejected
N3
弱める
yowameru
to weaken
Kanji