欲張り
Meaning in Englishgreedy
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 欲張り mean? It denotes greediness or avariciousness; a person who always wants more, especially material possessions or rewards; a negative trait commonly used to criticize someone's appetite for more.
Main meanings
- Greediness or avarice as a character trait; used to describe a person who always wants more than their fair share.
- Desire-driven or insatiable appetite for wealth, possessions, or rewards; can describe actions or behavior as greed-driven.
- Can be used playfully or critically depending on tone; 欲張りな is often negative, but in light humor it can soften when referring to oneself or close friends.
How to use it
Used as a noun or as 欲張りな in casual to semi-formal contexts; can also appear as 欲張りに to describe greedily performed actions; generally negative when referring to people, but milder or affectionate in humorous contexts.
Variants and close terms
- 強欲 (ごうよく, gouyoku) — greed
- 貪欲 (どんよく, don'yoku) — voracity
- 欲深い (よくぶかい, yokubukai) — greedy/covetous
- 欲張りな (よくばりな, yokubari na) — greedy (used to modify a noun)
- 満足 (まんぞく, manzoku) — contentment (antonym)
Composition
- 欲 — desire, wanting
- 張り — stretch, tension; in this compound it conveys the sense of extending desire beyond a fair share
Etymology
欲 (desire) + 張り (stretch, tension) → 欲張る as a verb; 欲張り as a noun; the sense is a desire that is stretched to excess.
Origin
Native to Japanese; earliest attested in classical literature and Edo-period writings describing character traits; used for people as well as their conduct, with no external loanword involved.
Word class
noun (na-adjective)