減る

• Reading: へる
• Romaji: heru
• Kanji breakdown: 減 (gen/he) — decrease, reduce, diminish
• Pronunciation: /he.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To decrease; to diminish; to abate. Describes something becoming smaller in quantity or size.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb conjugating with the る row. Pairs with the transitive 減らす (herasu). Used for population (人口が減る), weight (体重が減る), and the casual expression おなかが減る (to get hungry, literally stomach decreases).

Examples

1. この町の人口はどんどん減っている。 The population of this town keeps decreasing.
2. おなかが減ったので何か食べたいです。 I'm hungry, so I want to eat something.
3. 給料が減るかもしれないと心配です。 I'm worried that my salary might decrease.

Usage Guide

Context: statistics, daily life, news

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 減 (gen/he) meaning decrease or reduce. Originally associated with water levels falling, the opposite of 増.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal