Translation guide
How to describe something of low quality in Japanese, from everyday items to abstract concepts.
Describing something as poorly made, inferior, or not good.
Common word for something crude, shoddy, or of poor quality. Often used for objects, meals, or living conditions.
粗末な食事で申し訳ありません。
I'm sorry for the poor-quality meal.
この机は粗末な作りだ。
This desk is poorly made.
Literally 'quality is bad'. A straightforward, widely used phrase for poor quality.
この商品は質が悪い。
This product is of poor quality.
あの店の服は質が悪いから買わない。
I don't buy clothes from that store because they're poor quality.
Formal term for low quality, often used in technical or business contexts.
低品質な素材が使われている。
Low-quality materials are being used.
Polite/humble version of 粗末, often used self-deprecatingly about one's own work or offering.
お粗末なプレゼントですが、どうぞ。
It's a poor-quality gift, but please accept it.
Emphasizing that something is not only low quality but also cheaply made or flimsy.
Describes something that looks or feels cheap, tacky, or of low quality. Often used for appearance.
このバッグは安っぽく見える。
This bag looks cheap/poor-quality.
安っぽいアクセサリーはすぐ壊れる。
Cheap accessories break easily.
Colloquial word for flimsy, shoddy, or poorly made. Slightly negative nuance.
ちゃちな作りだね。
It's shoddily made, isn't it?
Formal term for inferior or shoddy quality, often used in product descriptions or complaints.
Describing something that functions poorly or is of low standard, like work or skills.
Unskillful, poor at doing something. Used for people's abilities or the quality of a performance.
彼は運転が下手だ。
He is a poor driver.
下手な絵だけど、気に入ってる。
It's a poor-quality drawing, but I like it.
Literally 'quality is low'. Used for work, services, or content.
このレポートは質が低い。
This report is of poor quality.
Clumsy, poor, or unrefined. Often used humbly about one's own work or speech.
Comparing something to a standard and finding it lacking.
To be inferior to something else. Often used in comparisons.
この製品は他社のものより品質が劣る。
This product is inferior in quality to others.
To look inferior or shabby in comparison.
新製品の隣だと見劣りする。
It looks poor-quality next to the new product.
The English word 'poor' can mean 'not rich' (貧しい) or 'low quality'. Do not use 貧しい for quality; it refers to poverty.
貧しい品質
poor quality (incorrect)
I was sold a shoddy product.
拙い説明で申し訳ありません。
I apologize for my poor explanation.