削る

• Reading: けずる
• Romaji: kezuru
• Kanji breakdown: 削 (saku/ke) — to shave, reduce
• Pronunciation: /ke.zɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To shave; to scrape; to pare down; to cut; to reduce. Refers to removing material or cutting something down in quantity or size.

A Group 1 (godan) verb with physical and abstract applications. Physically: shaving wood, sharpening a pencil, or scraping a surface. Abstractly: reducing budgets, cutting text in editing, or trimming plans. Figurative compounds are particularly expressive — 命を削る (to work oneself to the bone), 骨を削る (extreme sacrifice), 神経を削る (a severe drain on one's nerves).

Examples

1. 予算削減のため、広告費を大幅に削ることになった。 Due to budget cuts, advertising expenses had to be slashed significantly.
2. 彼は命を削るような思いで締切に間に合わせた。 He worked himself to the bone to meet the deadline.
3. 論文の冗長な部分を削って簡潔にまとめた。 The redundant parts of the paper were pared down to make it more concise.

Usage Guide

Context: editing, finance, craftsmanship, sacrifice

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 削 combines the knife radical (刀) with a phonetic component, depicting the act of cutting or scraping with a blade to reduce material.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal