Translation guide
Ways to express reducing expenses or cutting costs in Japanese, from business contexts to everyday saving.
To talk about reducing costs or expenses in a company or organization.
The most common and direct equivalent for 'cost-cutting' in business. Refers to systematic reduction of costs.
The company is working on cost-cutting.
We reduced business trips for cost-cutting.
Specifically refers to cutting expenses or operational costs. Often used in corporate settings.
Cutting expenses is an urgent task.
Loanword from English, used in business contexts. Slightly more casual than コスト削減.
Implement cost-cutting.
To talk about reducing personal spending or saving money in daily life.
General term for saving money or economizing. Used for personal finance, household budgeting, etc.
Cut down on utility bills.
Similar to 節約 but implies thriftiness and frugality as a lifestyle. Slightly more formal or literary.
Literally 'to keep down expenses'. A natural way to say 'cut spending'.
I want to cut spending this month.
To express cutting unnecessary things, not just money, but also time or resources.
To describe severe cost-cutting measures, often in response to a crisis.
節約 is the everyday word for saving money or cutting back on spending. 倹約 implies a more principled, long-term frugality and is often used in phrases like 倹約家 (thrifty person).
Cut back on eating out to save money.
I make a point of being frugal.
コスト削減 is a business term. Using it for personal saving sounds unnatural. Use 節約 or 出費を抑える instead.
Save money to go on a trip.
彼女は倹約家だ。
She is a thrifty person.
Promote streamlining of operations.
緊縮財政をとる。
Adopt austerity measures.