金欠

• 読み: きんけつ
• ローマ字: kinketsu
• 漢字の分解: 金 (money, gold) + 欠 (lack, deficiency) → lacking money; broke
• 発音: /kiɴ.ke.tsɯ/

意味

Being broke or short on cash — a temporary state of having no spending money.

金欠 is one of the most common financial complaints in casual Japanese, especially among students and young workers. It typically describes a temporary condition — you're broke right now, often due to a specific splurge or expense, but you'll recover next payday. It's used as a lighthearted excuse to decline invitations: '金欠だから無理' (Can't, I'm broke). The term is casual enough for social media posts but would never be used in formal situations.

例文

1. 月末はいつも金欠で100円のカップ麺生活になる。
2. 金欠すぎて友達の誘い全部断ってる。
3. ライブ行きすぎて金欠なんだけど、来月も推しのライブあるんだよね…。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, social media, daily conversation

トーン: casual, self-deprecating

正しい言い方

• 今月金欠だから安いとこで飲もう。 (I'm broke this month, let's drink somewhere cheap.)
• 金欠で自炊ばっかりしてたらなぜか料理うまくなった。 (I was cooking at home because I'm broke and somehow I got better at cooking.)

避ける言い方

• ビジネスシーンで「金欠です」は不適切 — 「予算的に厳しいです」を使う (In business settings, use '予算的に厳しい' instead of '金欠' — it's too casual)

よくある間違い

• Using 金欠 in formal or business settings — it's strictly casual language. Use 予算が厳しい or 余裕がない for polite situations

起源と歴史

From 金 (money/gold) + 欠 (lacking/deficient). A straightforward compound meaning 'lacking money.' Used as casual slang since at least the postwar era, especially popular among younger generations.

文化的背景

時代: Postwar era casual speech, popular across all modern eras

世代: All ages, especially students and young workers

社会的背景: Universal in casual speech

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. One of the most frequently used financial expressions in casual Japanese, especially on social media around payday.