乏 — “Destitution / Scarce / Limited” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼう, とぼ, とも

Radical ⼃ · radical 4 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Destitution / Scarce / Limited” in Japanese is 乏, read bou, tobo, tomo (ぼう, とぼ, とも). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 貧乏 (poverty).

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What does 乏 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	乏
Meaning	Destitution / Scarce / Limited
Readings	ぼう, とぼ, とも
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	貧乏 (poverty)

How to read 乏

乏 is read bou (ぼう) or tobo (とぼ) or tomo (とも) depending on the word.

Words with 乏

貧乏

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Kanji read the same way as 乏

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28