Japanese symbol for “needy”
貧しい
まずしい
Romaji: mazushii
poor; needy
In Japanese, needy is 貧しい, read まずしい (mazushii).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i poor; needy
- adj-i lacking (quantity and quality-wise); poor; scanty; skimpy; slight; inadequate
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “needy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation); needy |
| 困窮者 | こんきゅうしゃ konkyuusha | the poor; the needy; the destitute |
| 貧困者 | ひんこんしゃ hinkonsha | pauper; the needy; the poor |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 貧困 | ひんこん hinkon | poverty; penury; need |
| 貧乏 | びんぼう binbou | poverty-stricken; destitute; poor |
| 貧血 | ひんけつ hinketsu | anemia; anaemia |
| 貧弱 | ひんじゃく hinjaku | poor; meagre; meager |
| 貧富 | ひんぷ hinpu | wealth and poverty; rich and poor |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.