引き締め

• Reading: ひきしめ
• Romaji: hikishime
• Kanji breakdown: 引 (in/hi) — pull; 締 (tei/shi) — tighten, close
• Pronunciation: /çi.ki.ɕi.me/

Meaning

Tightening; austerity; restraint. The act of tightening monetary policy, budgets, credit, or internal discipline.

Most commonly appears in 金融引き締め (monetary tightening) — when a central bank raises interest rates or reduces the money supply to control inflation. Also used for budgetary austerity (財政引き締め) or internal cost discipline (経費の引き締め). The antonym is 緩和 (easing). Often signals a shift from expansionary to contractionary policy.

Examples

1. 中央銀行は物価上昇を受けて金融引き締めに転じた。 The central bank shifted to monetary tightening in response to rising prices.
2. 景気過熱を抑えるために財政引き締めが必要だという意見が多い。 Many argue that fiscal tightening is necessary to rein in an overheating economy.
3. 社内経費の引き締めを徹底するよう全部門に通達が出た。 A directive was issued to all departments to enforce strict controls on internal expenses.

Usage Guide

Context: monetary policy, economics, fiscal policy, management

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Nominalisation of 引き締める (to tighten, to pull tight). 引き (pull) + 締め (tightening, closing) — the act of pulling something tighter, applied metaphorically to economic or managerial control.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Business/Policy