加速

• Reading: かそく
• Romaji: kasoku
• Kanji breakdown: 加 (ka) — add, increase, join; 速 (soku/haya) — fast, speed, quick
• Pronunciation: /ka.so.kɯ/

Meaning

Acceleration; speeding up. The process of increasing speed or pace.

A noun and suru-verb meaning to accelerate or speed up, used both literally (vehicles, physics) and figuratively (trends, changes, development). The opposite is 減速 (gensoku, deceleration). Common in news and business contexts when describing trends that are intensifying. Can be transitive (加速させる, to accelerate something) or intransitive (加速する, to accelerate).

Examples

1. カーブの後で車が一気に加速した。 The car accelerated all at once after the curve.
2. 技術革新のスピードが加速している。 The pace of technological innovation is accelerating.
3. 少子化が経済の変化を加速させている。 The declining birthrate is accelerating economic change.

Usage Guide

Context: driving, technology, economics, science

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 加 (ka, add/increase) + 速 (soku, speed/fast). Literally 'adding speed' — the act of going faster.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal