poor

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The on readings are ひん and びん, and the kun reading is まずしい. It has 11 strokes and relates to poverty or a lack of substance.
• Basic usage: 貧しい is read まずしい, and 貧乏 is read びんぼう.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 貧しい / 貧乏
  • 貧しい means poor or meager. It is an i-adjective read まずしい. It describes financial poverty and can also describe meager content.
  • 貧しい家庭の子どもにも学ぶ機会が必要だ。 means “Children from poor families also need opportunities to learn.”
  • 貧乏 means poor or poverty. It is a noun or na-adjective read びんぼう. It is an everyday expression for poverty or for being poor.
  • 若い頃は貧乏だったが、家族で工夫しながら暮らした。 means “We were poor when I was young, but the whole family worked together to make ends meet.”