Japanese symbol for “decrease”
減少
げんしょう
Romaji: genshou
decrease; reduction; decline
In Japanese, decrease is 減少, read げんしょう (genshou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-no, n, vi decrease; reduction; decline
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “decrease”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 減る | へる heru | to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate |
| 低減 | ていげん teigen | decrease; reduction; fall |
| 減り | へり heri | decrease; reduction; fall |
| 減らす | へらす herasu | to abate; to decrease; to diminish |
| 落ちる | おちる ochiru | to decrease (of popularity, quality, speed, sales, etc.); to fall; to drop |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 削減 | さくげん sakugen | cut; reduction; curtailment |
| 加減 | かげん kagen | degree; extent; amount |
| 減速 | げんそく gensoku | deceleration |
| 減る | へる heru | to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate |
| 減らす | へらす herasu | to abate; to decrease; to diminish |
| 少し | すこし sukoshi | a little; a bit; a small amount |
| 少年 | しょうねん shounen | boy |
| 少女 | しょうじょ shoujo | girl (usu. between 7 and 17); young lady |
See also: Chinese symbol for “decrease”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.