軽減（けいげん、keigen）
- reduction

The Japanese word 軽減 (けいげん) means to reduce, lessen, mitigate, or alleviate something. It refers to the action of making something smaller, weaker, or less severe. This can apply to a wide range of things, such as pain, costs, damage, risks, or burdens. The core idea is to decrease the intensity or extent of something undesirable. The word often carries a sense of making something easier to bear or handle.

⚫︎痛みを 軽減 させる薬を飲む。 Translation: I take medicine to alleviate the pain. ⚫︎コスト 軽減 のために、新しい方法を検討しています。 Translation: We are considering new methods to reduce costs. ⚫︎環境への負荷を 軽減 するために、エコな製品を選びましょう。 Translation: Let's choose eco-friendly products to lessen the burden on the environment.

軽減 is a versatile word suitable for formal and informal situations. It can be used in business contexts, medical discussions, or everyday conversations. It’s generally used when discussing steps taken or measures implemented to lessen a negative impact or undesirable situation. The word is quite common and can be used in a variety of contexts, from describing the impact of a natural disaster to the effect of a medicine. When using the word, consider what is being 軽減ed (reduced/alleviated) and how.

軽減 is typically written with the kanji 軽減 or in hiragana けいげん. The kanji represents the meaning directly, with 軽 implying lightness or lessening and 減 meaning to decrease. The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always written as げん.

⚫︎ 削減 (さくげん): Reduction, cutback ⚫︎ 緩和 (かんわ): Alleviation, easing ⚫︎ 減らす (へらす): To reduce, to decrease ⚫︎ 軽くする (かるくする): To lighten, to ease

⚫︎ 増加 (ぞうか): Increase ⚫︎ 増やす (ふやす): To increase ⚫︎ 悪化 (あっか): Worsening ⚫︎ 増大 (ぞうだい): Enlargement, increase

地震による被害を 軽減 するために、建物の耐震性を高める必要があります。 ・Translation: In order to mitigate the damage caused by the earthquake, it is necessary to improve the earthquake resistance of buildings. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the use of 軽減 in the context of reducing the negative impact of a disaster.

ストレスを 軽減 するために、定期的に運動をしています。 ・Translation: I exercise regularly to reduce stress. ・Explanation: This example shows the use of 軽減 for actions taken to lessen a negative emotion.

The word 軽減 is composed of two kanji: 軽 (kei) which means "light" or "less" and 減 (gen) which means "to decrease" or "to reduce". Together, they describe the act of making something lighter or less, hence meaning to reduce, lessen, or alleviate. The etymology reflects the core meaning of the word as a process of making something less severe or burdensome.