1.
bad harvest; crop failure; poor yield
A significantly poor agricultural harvest, typically caused by adverse weather conditions such as drought, flooding, cold spells, or pest damage.
今年は米が凶作だった。
This year's rice harvest was poor.
冷夏の影響で凶作になった。
The cool summer caused a crop failure.
凶作が続いた江戸時代には、飢きんが何度も起きた。
During the Edo period, when crop failures continued, famines occurred repeatedly.
USAGE:
The opposite of 豊作 (bumper crop, abundant harvest). Historically, 凶作 was a frequent cause of 飢きん (famine) in Japan, particularly during the Edo period.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 凶作になる (to have a crop failure)
- 凶作が続く (crop failures continue)
- 凶作に見舞われる (to be hit by a bad harvest)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 豊作: bumper crop — the opposite, an abundant harvest
- 不作: poor harvest — similar meaning but somewhat milder than 凶作