無一文(むいちもん)

Composed of 無(む) (without) + 一文(いちもん) (one mon — the smallest old coin denomination). Literally means not having even one mon. The 文(もん) was a very small unit of currency in pre-modern Japan, so the expression emphasizes total poverty.

Common collocations

• 無一文(むいちもん)になる (to become penniless)
• 無一文(むいちもん)から始(はじ)める (to start from nothing)
• 無一文(むいちもん)の状態(じょうたい) (a state of being penniless)
• 無一文(むいちもん)で放(ほう)り出(だ)される (to be thrown out without a penny)

Similar words

• 一文無(いちもんな)し — penniless; an older variant with essentially the same meaning
• 文無(もんな)し — penniless; colloquial variant
• 金欠(きんけつ) — short of cash; more casual and less extreme, implying temporary shortage
• すっからかん — completely broke; very colloquial and emphatic

Etymology

The 文(もん) was the smallest unit of currency during the Edo period. Even one 文(もん) had very little value, so saying someone doesn't have even one emphasizes the completeness of their poverty.