Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info: 水 (みず) – water

Henshall Mnemonic: decreased water brings on heartless feeling

Levels: JLPT N2 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 5
Frequency: #261 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N3 Words

• 減らす   [へらす]
  (v5s,vt) to abate; to decrease; to diminish; to shorten   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減る   [へる]
  (v5r,vi) to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 加減   [かげん]
  (n) (1) addition and subtraction; (2) allowance for; (3) degree; extent; measure; (4) condition; state of health; (5) seasoning; flavor; moderation; adjustment; (6) influence (of the weather); (7) chance   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 増減   [ぞうげん]
  (n,vs) increase and decrease; fluctuation   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

• 削減   [さくげん]
  (n,vs) cut; reduction; curtailment   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減少   [げんしょう]
  (n) decrease; reduction; decline   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減点   [げんてん]
  (n,vs) subtract; give a demerit   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• いい加減   [いいかげん]
  (adj-na,adv,exp,n) moderate; right; random; not thorough; vague; irresponsible; halfhearted   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 軽減   [けいげん]
  (n,vs) abatement   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 減員   [げんいん]
  (n,vs) reduction of staff   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減益   [げんえき]
  (n,vs) decrease in profits   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減価償却   [げんかしょうきゃく]
  (n) depreciation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減額   [げんがく]
  (n) abatement   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減給   [げんきゅう]
  (n,vs) pay cut; salary cut   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減産   [げんさん]
  (n,vs) reduction in production   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減収   [げんしゅう]
  (n) fall; decrease (in income)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減税   [げんぜい]
  (n) tax reduction   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減速   [げんそく]
  (n,vs) deceleration   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減退   [げんたい]
  (n,vs) decline; ebb; failure; loss   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減反   [げんたん]
  (n) reduction (of crop size)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減俸   [げんぽう]
  (n) salary reduction; salary cut   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減免   [げんめん]
  (n) reduction and exemption; mitigation and remission   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 減量   [げんりょう]
  (n) loss in quantity   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 漸減   [ぜんげん]
  (n) gradual decrease; decline   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 激減   [げきげん]
  (n,vs) dropping sharply; decreasing rapidly   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 半減   [はんげん]
  (n,vs) reduction by half; halve   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 節減   [せつげん]
  (n,vs) retrenchment; curtailment; economy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 目減り   [めべり]
  (n,vs) loss in weight; decrease in value   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 低減   [ていげん]
  (n) decrease; reduction; fall; depreciation; mitigation   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 減 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.