減少

• Reading: げんしょう
• Romaji: genshou
• Kanji breakdown: 減 (gen) — decrease, diminish; 少 (shō) — few, little
• Pronunciation: /ɡeɴ.ɕoː/

Meaning

Decrease; reduction; decline. A quantitative drop in number, amount, or degree.

A noun that also functions as a suru verb (減少する). Used both transitively and intransitively. Appears constantly in news, statistics, and academic writing. Common patterns include 人口減少 (population decline), 大幅に減少する (to decrease significantly), and 減少傾向 (downward trend). More formal than 減る (to decrease). The opposite is 増加 (increase).

Examples

1. 日本では出生率が年々減少している。 In Japan, the birth rate has been declining year after year.
2. 交通事故の数が大幅に減少した。 The number of traffic accidents decreased significantly.
3. コスト減少のために新しい方法を考えた。 We came up with a new method to reduce costs.

Usage Guide

Context: news, statistics, business

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 減 (gen, decrease/diminish) and 少 (shō, few/little). Both characters reinforce the idea of becoming less — a double emphasis on reduction.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal