削減（さくげん、sakugen）
- reduction

The Japanese word 削減 (さくげん) means "reduction," "cut," "curtailment," or "cutting down." It refers to the act of decreasing something, such as costs, numbers, amounts, or resources. It implies a deliberate effort to make something smaller or less. 削減 can apply to various contexts, from financial 削減 to the 削減 of time spent on a task.

⚫︎コストを 削減 したい。 Translation: I want to reduce costs. ⚫︎人件費の 削減 が必要です。 Translation: It is necessary to reduce labor costs. ⚫︎エネルギー消費量を 削減 する。 Translation: To reduce energy consumption.

You use 削減 when discussing the action of reducing something. It's suitable for formal and informal contexts, depending on the topic. It's often used in business, economics, and environmental discussions. The verb often follows words describing what is being reduced, like cost, budget, waste, or expenses. You can use it in a conversation to talk about plans to reduce something or to describe situations where a 削減 has already happened.

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji as 削減. ⚫︎The reading is さくげん in hiragana. ⚫︎There are no common variations in okurigana.

⚫︎減らす (へらす) - to decrease, to reduce ⚫︎カット (katto) - cut (loanword) ⚫︎縮小 (しゅくしょう) - reduction, cutback, downsizing ⚫︎減額 (げんがく) - reduction in amount (usually financial)

⚫︎増加 (ぞうか) - increase ⚫︎増やす (ふやす) - to increase, to add ⚫︎拡大 (かくだい) - expansion, enlargement

予算の 削減 は、会社の利益を増やすために重要です。 ・Translation: Reducing the budget is important for increasing the company's profits. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 削減 (budget cut) can be used in a business context, highlighting the reason behind the reduction.

環境保護のために、二酸化炭素の排出量を 削減 しなければならない。 ・Translation: We must reduce carbon dioxide emissions to protect the environment. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the use of 削減 in an environmental context, emphasizing the need to cut down emissions for ecological reasons.

The word 削減 is a combination of two kanji: 削 (saku) meaning "to shave off," "to pare down," or "to reduce" and 減 (gen) meaning "to decrease," "to diminish," or "to reduce." Therefore, the combination of the two kanji strongly emphasizes the process of reducing or cutting something down.