Translation guide
Describes a temporary lack of money, often in informal contexts. The most natural Japanese expressions depend on whether you are speaking casually or formally, and whether you want to emphasize the temporary struggle or the general state of being broke.
Express that you are currently low on cash, often in a casual or slightly self-deprecating way.
A very common casual term meaning 'short of money' or 'broke'. Literally 'money shortage'. Used in everyday conversation.
今月は金欠で、外食できない。
I'm hard up this month, so I can't eat out.
The most straightforward way to say 'I have no money'. Neutral and widely understood.
今、お金がなくて、遊びに行けない。
I'm hard up right now, so I can't go out.
Literally 'troubled by money'. Slightly more formal than 金欠, but still common. Emphasizes the difficulty.
彼は金に困っているらしい。
He seems to be hard up.
A humorous or exaggerated way to say 'chronic money shortage'. Literally 'money-shortage disease'.
また金欠病になっちゃった。
I've come down with a case of being hard up again.
Describe a more serious or ongoing lack of money, often used in formal or descriptive contexts.
Means 'struggling to make a living'. Suitable for describing someone who is hard up in a more serious way.
失業して生活に困っている。
I lost my job and am hard up.
Means 'poor' or 'poverty'. Can be used as a noun or na-adjective. More direct than 'hard up' and can sound blunt.
貧乏な学生時代を過ごした。
I spent my student days hard up.
A more formal way to say 'financially struggling'. Often used in serious discussions.
今は経済的に苦しい状況です。
I'm in a hard-up situation financially right now.
Extend the metaphor to being short of non-monetary resources, like ideas or time.
A versatile pattern: attach a noun to express being hard up for that thing. For example, アイデアに困っている (hard up for ideas).
いいアイデアに困っている。
I'm hard up for good ideas.
Means 'shortage of ~'. Used as a suffix. E.g., 人手不足 (short-handed), 時間不足 (short of time).
時間不足で困っている。
I'm hard up for time.
The English phrase 'hard up' does not have a single direct Japanese equivalent. Translating word-for-word will sound unnatural. Use context-appropriate expressions like 金欠 or お金がない instead.
金欠 is casual and implies a temporary shortage, often used among friends. 貧乏 is a stronger, more permanent-sounding word for poverty and can be offensive if used carelessly.