累積

• Reading: るいせき
• Romaji: ruiseki
• Kanji breakdown: 累 (rui) — repeatedly, accumulate; 積 (seki) — pile up, accumulate
• Pronunciation: /ɾɯiseки/

Meaning

Accumulation; pile-up; build-up. The gradual increase of something through repeated addition over time.

A noun (also used as a suru-verb: 累積する) describing the progressive stacking up of figures, stress, debts, errors, or any quantifiable entity. Common in financial reporting (累積赤字 — accumulated deficit), statistics (累積度数 — cumulative frequency), and everyday speech about mounting pressure.

Examples

1. 累積した疲労が原因で、選手はシーズン終盤に故障してしまった。 The player was injured late in the season due to accumulated fatigue.
2. 財政赤字が累積し、国債残高が過去最高を更新した。 The fiscal deficit accumulated, and the national debt balance hit a record high.
3. データを累積して分析することで長期的なトレンドが見えてくる。 By accumulating and analyzing data, long-term trends become visible.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, statistics, health, economics

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From 累 (repeatedly, piling up) and 積 (to accumulate, pile). Both characters independently carry the sense of stacking and building up, making the compound emphatic.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated