財政赤字

• Reading: ざいせいあかじ
• Romaji: zaiseiaakaji
• Kanji breakdown: 財 (zai) — wealth; 政 (sei) — politics; 赤 (aka) — red; 字 (ji) — character, letter
• Pronunciation: /za.i.se.i.a.ka.dʑi/

Meaning

Budget deficit; fiscal deficit. When government spending exceeds revenue.

A compound noun: 財政 (public finance) + 赤字 (deficit/red ink). The opposite is 財政黒字 (zaiseikuroji, budget surplus). A key concept in macroeconomics and political debate: 財政赤字を削減する (reduce the budget deficit), 財政赤字が膨らむ (the budget deficit swells). Frequently appears in news about national and local government budgets.

Examples

1. 財政赤字が過去最大に膨らんだことが報道された。 It was reported that the budget deficit had swelled to a record high.
2. 財政赤字を解消するために増税が検討されている。 Tax hikes are being considered to eliminate the budget deficit.
3. 長年の財政赤字が国債の発行残高を押し上げている。 Years of budget deficits have pushed up the outstanding balance of government bonds.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, economics, news

Tone: negative

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 財政 (zaisei, public finance) + 赤字 (akaji, deficit/red figures). 赤字 literally means 'red characters' — from the bookkeeping practice of writing losses in red ink.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal