要約

• Reading: ようやく
• Romaji: youyaku
• Kanji breakdown: 要 (you) — essential, key, need; 約 (yaku) — promise, condense, summarise
• Pronunciation: /joː.ja.kɯ/

Meaning

Summary; abstract; abridgement; digest. A condensed version of a longer text or speech that captures its essential points.

A suru-verb noun (要約する) used across academic, business, and everyday contexts. 要約 implies deliberate condensation of key information — distinct from 概要 (overview), which tends to be pre-existing, and from 抄録 (abstract), which is more academic. 要約する力 (ability to summarise) is considered a core professional skill in Japan, often tested in university entrance examinations and business communication training.

Examples

1. 長い会議の内容を要約して一枚の資料にまとめ、全員に配布した。 I summarized the lengthy meeting into a single-page document and distributed it to everyone.
2. 記事を要約する練習は、文章の要点を把握する力を高めるのに有効だ。 Practicing summarizing articles is an effective way to improve your ability to grasp the key points of a text.
3. 要約すると、今回の提案の核心は費用削減と効率化の両立にある。 In summary, the core of this proposal lies in achieving both cost reduction and greater efficiency.

Usage Guide

Context: academic writing, business, education, journalism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 要 means essential or necessary, 約 means to summarise or condense — together describing the extraction and compression of essential content.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal