増益

• Reading: ぞうえき
• Romaji: zōeki
• Kanji breakdown: 増 (zō) — increase, grow; 益 (eki) — profit, gain, benefit
• Pronunciation: /zoː.e.ki/

Meaning

Increased profits; profit growth. A rise in a company's earnings compared to a previous period.

A standard term in corporate earnings reports and financial journalism. Frequently paired with 増収 (increased revenue) to form 増収増益, which indicates both top-line and bottom-line growth — the ideal outcome. The opposite is 減益 (gen'eki, decreased profits). N1 learners encounter this in news articles about quarterly earnings and economic forecasts.

Examples

1. 売上高の増加とコスト削減が奏功し、今期は三期連続の増益となった。 The increase in sales and cost-reduction efforts paid off, and this term marks three consecutive periods of profit growth.
2. 増益にもかかわらず、株価は将来の成長見通しを懸念して下落した。 Despite the profit growth, the share price fell on concerns about future growth prospects.
3. 営業利益の増益幅が市場予想を大幅に上回り、株価は急騰した。 The margin of profit growth in operating income far exceeded market expectations, sending the share price soaring.

Usage Guide

Context: corporate reporting, finance, business news

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 増 (zo, increase) and 益 (eki, profit/benefit). A straightforward Sino-Japanese formation following the common pattern of prefixing 増 to financial metrics to indicate growth.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Business