ぼろい

i-adjective

shabby; worn out; tattered

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	ぼろい	ぼろくない
Past	ぼろかった	ぼろくなかった
て form	ぼろくて	ぼろくなくて
Adverbial	ぼろく	—
Conditional ば	ぼろければ	ぼろくなければ
Conditional たら	ぼろかったら	ぼろくなかったら

1. shabby; worn out; tattered; run-down

Describes something that is old, worn, and in poor condition — clothes, buildings, vehicles, equipment. Casual and somewhat blunt in tone.

このアパートはぼろい。

This apartment is run-down.

ぼろい車(くるま)だけど、まだ走(はし)る。

It's a beat-up car, but it still runs.

祖父(そふ)は今(いま)でもぼろい自転車(じてんしゃ)を大事(だいじ)に乗(の)っている。

My grandfather still carefully rides his beat-up old bicycle.

Adjective form of the noun ぼろ (rag, tatters). Carries a casual, sometimes affectionate, sometimes dismissive tone. Best avoided in polite descriptions of someone else's belongings.

Common collocations

ぼろい家(いえ): a run-down house
ぼろい車(くるま): a beat-up car
ぼろい服(ふく): tattered clothes

Similar words

古(ふる)い: old — neutral; doesn't imply poor condition
ぼろぼろ: in tatters; falling apart — onomatopoeic, even more emphatic than ぼろい
老朽化(ろうきゅうか)した: deteriorated, dilapidated — formal equivalent used for buildings

Related Words

Compare: 古(ふる)い (old)

Compare: 老朽化(ろうきゅうか) (deteriorated, dilapidated)

general

Added 2026.6.5 12:07 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

28500/28785_boroi