卑(いや)しい

いやしい
i-adjective
lowly; vulgar; greedy
personality
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present卑(いや)しい卑(いや)しくない
Past卑(いや)しかった卑(いや)しくなかった
て form卑(いや)しくて卑(いや)しくなくて
Adverbial卑(いや)しく—
Conditional ば卑(いや)しければ卑(いや)しくなければ
Conditional たら卑(いや)しかったら卑(いや)しくなかったら
1. lowly; base; vulgar
Describes someone or something of low social standing, or behavior that is crude and lacking in refinement.
卑(いや)しい言葉(ことば)を使(つか)うな。
Don't use vulgar language.
身分(みぶん)が卑(いや)しいからといって差別(さべつ)してはいけない。
You shouldn't discriminate against someone just because their social standing is low.
卑(いや)しい考(かんが)えは捨(す)てて、正(ただ)しいことをしなさい。
Abandon base thoughts and do the right thing.
2. greedy; gluttonous
Describes an excessive desire for food or money. Often used to scold children who grab at food.
食(た)べ物(もの)に卑(いや)しい。
He's greedy when it comes to food.
そんなに卑(いや)しく食(た)べないで。
Don't eat so greedily.
他(ほか)の人(ひと)の分(ぶん)まで取(と)るなんて、卑(いや)しいと思(おも)われるよ。
If you take other people's portions too, people will think you're greedy.

Forms

  • 卑(いや)しい (plain)
  • 卑(いや)しくない (negative)
  • 卑(いや)しかった (past)

Usage

Sense 1 is literary and somewhat old-fashioned in modern Japanese. Sense 2 (greedy about food) is more common in everyday speech, especially when scolding children.

Common collocations

Similar words

下品(げひん) means "vulgar" or "tasteless" and focuses on manners and refinement. 卑(いや)しい has a broader range covering social status, moral character, and greed.

Related Words

Antonym: 上品(じょうひん) (refined; elegant)
Synonym: 下品(げひん) (vulgar; tasteless)
Compare: 浅(あさ)ましい (shameful)
Compare: 汚(けが)らわしい (filthy)
general
Added 2026.3.11 13:33 · Revised 2026.9.2 21:47
16000/16203_iyashii