乏: the kanji for scarce; poor

乏 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means scarce; poor. Below are its readings, 3 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

scarce; poorMeaning

ボウOn reading

とぼしいKun reading

4Strokes

Stroke order

乏 is written in 4 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

乏 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 3 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

ボウ (bou)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
貧乏びんぼう · binbō	poverty
欠乏けつぼう · ketsubō	shortage; deficiency

とぼしい (toboshii)

Kun reading.

Word	Meaning
乏しいとぼしい · toboshii	scarce; poor

Example sentences for work and daily life

学生のころは貧乏だった。Gakusei no koro wa binbō datta.I was poor when I was a student.
この地域は水資源が乏しい。Kono chiiki wa mizu shigen ga toboshii.This region is short of water resources.
ビタミンが欠乏すると体調を崩す。Bitamin ga ketsubō suru to taichō o kuzusu.A vitamin deficiency makes you unwell.
経験に乏しいが、やる気はある。Keiken ni toboshii ga, yaruki wa aru.I lack experience, but I'm motivated.
彼は貧乏ゆすりをする癖がある。Kare wa binbōyusuri o suru kuse ga aru.He has a habit of jiggling his leg.

Questions about 乏

How many strokes does 乏 have?

乏 is written in 4 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 乏?

The on readings are bou (ボウ). The kun readings are toboshii (とぼしい).

What JLPT level is 乏?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.