勿体ない

Japanese

Kanji in this term
もち > もっ
Jinmeiyō
たい
Grade: 2
on'yomi
Alternative spelling
勿體ない (kyūjitai)
For pronunciation and definitions of 勿体ない – see the following entry.
勿体無もったいな
[adjective] [from roughly 1221] not as expected and consequently regrettable, unreasonable, improper
[adjective] [from 1378] (in a positive sense) humbling, welcome but overwhelming, too much, too good for one
[adjective] [from late 1300s] (in a negative sense) wasteful, regrettable, such as something useful just sitting there, or the disposal of something still usable
[interjection] what a waste, what a shame
(This term, 勿体ない, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)