勿体ない (Mottainai) is a Japanese i-adjective meaning “wasteful, a waste, too good, more than one deserves”.
Meanings
- i-adjectivewasteful; a waste
- i-adjectivetoo good; more than one deserves; unworthy of
- i-adjectiveimpious; profane; sacrilegious
Examples
時間がもったいない。
Time is wasting.
この服はわたしにはもったいない。
This suit is too good for me.
これは逃すのはもったいないチャンスだ。
This is too good a chance to lose.
Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).