Translation guide
The English word 'bottleneck' can refer to a physical narrow part of a bottle, but more commonly it describes a point of congestion or a limiting factor in a process. This guide covers both literal and figurative uses, with natural Japanese equivalents.
Referring to the physical narrow part of a bottle.
The most direct and common way to say 'bottleneck' in a literal sense. '瓶' means bottle, '首' means neck.
This bottle's neck is narrow.
The loanword from English. Used in both literal and figurative contexts, but less common for the literal meaning than 瓶の首.
The bottleneck of the wine bottle broke.
Describing a place, stage, or factor that causes a slowdown or blockage in a process, traffic, workflow, etc.
The most common and versatile term for a figurative bottleneck in business, technology, traffic, etc. Widely understood.
This process is a bottleneck in production.
A more formal or technical term meaning 'bottleneck' or 'narrow path'. Often used in economic or logistical contexts. Can also refer to a physical narrow road.
Shortened form of ボトルネック, commonly used in business and casual conversation. Often appears in phrases like 〜がネックだ (is a bottleneck/problem).
Specifically for traffic bottlenecks, meaning 'cause of congestion'. Not a direct translation of 'bottleneck' but a natural way to describe a traffic choke point.
Referring to a resource, rule, or condition that restricts overall performance or capacity.
Means 'constraint' or 'limitation'. Often used when the bottleneck is a rule, budget, or resource limitation rather than a physical blockage.
Budget constraints are the bottleneck for the project.
Literally 'shackles', used figuratively to mean a hindrance or bottleneck that holds things back. Slightly more emotive.
A technical term from chemistry/biology meaning 'rate-limiting step'. Used in scientific or engineering contexts to describe the slowest step that determines overall speed.
ボトルネック is the safest and most widely understood term for figurative bottlenecks. 隘路 is more formal and often used in written reports or economic analysis. ネック is a casual abbreviation common in spoken business Japanese, but may sound too informal in formal documents.
Do not use 瓶の首 to mean a figurative bottleneck. It only refers to the physical neck of a bottle. Use ボトルネック or other terms instead.
The highway bottleneck causes delays every morning.
We need to identify the bottleneck in our workflow.
We need to eliminate the network bottleneck.
Improve logistics bottlenecks.
人手不足がネックで、計画が遅れている。
Staff shortage is the bottleneck, delaying the plan.
This intersection is the bottleneck (cause of the traffic jam).
古いシステムが足かせになっている。
The old system is a bottleneck (hindrance).
Identify the bottleneck (rate-limiting step) of this reaction.