劣 means “inferior, worse”

おとる · otoru

Also: inferiority, be inferior to, be worse

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おとる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

レツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 6 strokes

The story

Little (少) strength (力): falling short. 劣る is to be inferior, 劣等感 is an inferiority complex, and 劣化 is deterioration, what happens to old batteries and to plastic left out in the sun.

Used in 劣る (otoru, to be inferior), 劣等感 (rettoukan, inferiority complex), and 劣化 (rekka, deterioration)

More from Vice & Folly

• 痴 foolish
• 怠 lazy
• 弊 harm
• 癖 habit
• 卑 lowly
• 堕 fall
• 恣 arbitrary
• 惰 idle
• 淫 lewd
• 傲 arrogant
• 慢 conceit
• 狂 go mad

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.