1.
three mon (old copper coin unit); a pittance; trifling amount
Literally 'three mon' — three units of an old copper coin worth almost nothing. Now used figuratively in idioms to mean 'a trifle', 'a cheap thing', or 'a small but real benefit'.
早起きは三文の得。
The early bird catches the worm. (lit. 'rising early is worth three mon')
そんなのは三文小説にすぎない。
That's nothing more than a cheap pulp novel.
三文役者と呼ばれても、彼は毎日舞台に立ち続けた。
Even though he was called a third-rate actor, he kept performing on stage every day.
文 was a unit of old Japanese copper coinage; three of them was a very small sum. In modern Japanese the word survives almost exclusively in fixed phrases meaning 'cheap' or 'trifling'.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 早起きは三文の得: 'rising early is worth three mon' — the early bird gets a small benefit
- 三文小説: pulp novel; trashy fiction
- 三文役者: third-rate / hack actor
- 三文文士: hack writer
- 二束三文: dirt cheap (two bundles for three mon)
USAGE:
Rarely used as a literal price in modern Japanese — almost always appears as part of an idiom or set expression with a 'cheap, worthless, or trivial' nuance.