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貧民窟 (ひんみんくつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

貧ひん民みん窟くつ

ひ

ん

み

ん

く

つ

Meanings

1

noun

slum; poor quarter

Refers to a run-down, impoverished urban area. Often used in historical or social contexts; スラム is more common in modern casual speech.

See also: 貧民街 · スラム

19世せい紀きのロンドンには多おおくの貧ひん民みん窟くつがあった。
In 19th-century London, there were many slums.

その小しょう説せつは貧ひん民みん窟くつの生せい活かつを描えがいている。

The novel depicts life in the slums.

Kanji

貧poverty, poor
民people, nation, subjects
窟cavern

Similar words

貧ひん民みん街がい
Similar meaning; 貧民街 is also a formal term for a slum district, while 貧民窟 emphasizes the cramped, squalid nature of the housing.
スラム
Loanword from English 'slum'; more common in modern, casual contexts than 貧民窟.

Etymology

Compound of 貧民 (poor people) and 窟 (cave, den, or cramped dwelling). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since the Meiji era to describe impoverished urban quarters.