弊

harmful influence; worn out; humble prefix

Kanji 1779

Japan may pride itself on its long traditions and conservative ways. But armed with 弊, people criticize antiquated thinking and talk about abandoning customs. The same kanji enables the Japanese to discuss exhaustion and worn-out objects. Despite all this negativity, people commonly use 弊 for upbeat statements such as “Thank you for your interest in our company.” 

Revision history:

Feb. 21, 2025: p. 15: Fixed a broken link and added 2 short paragraphs to reflect new info. that has surfaced.

Nov. 27, 2024: pp. 10, 14, and 15: Deleted hyphen in "worn-out" in breakdowns.

Feb. 9, 2022: Removed a broken link on p. 7.

Dec. 13, 2019:

• p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one. 
• p. 4: Changed the translation of 社会の悪弊を糾すべきだ to "We must investigate and expose societal abuses." Also changed the definition of 糾す to "to investigate and bring to light."
• p. 14: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Sept. 8, 2017: Originally published.