Translation guide
This guide covers how to express the idea of 'decreasing' in Japanese, including verbs for becoming smaller or fewer, adjectives for declining trends, and patterns for describing drops in amount, number, or intensity.
To say that something is getting smaller, fewer, or less in a general sense.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to decrease' or 'to diminish'. Used for countable things, amounts, or abstract quantities. Very common.
人口が減っている。
The population is decreasing.
貯金が減った。
My savings decreased.
Transitive verb meaning 'to reduce' or 'to decrease' something. Use when someone actively makes something smaller.
経費を減らす必要がある。
We need to reduce expenses.
Phrase meaning 'to become less' or 'to decrease'. Slightly more formal or descriptive than 減る.
最近、雨の日が少なくなった。
Recently, rainy days have decreased.
Suru-verb meaning 'to decline' or 'to drop', often used for quality, ability, or numerical values. More formal.
品質が低下している。
The quality is decreasing.
To describe a downward trend in statistics, prices, or measurable values.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to go down' or 'to drop'. Used for prices, temperature, rankings, etc.
気温が下がった。
The temperature decreased.
株価が下がっている。
Stock prices are decreasing.
Transitive verb meaning 'to lower' or 'to bring down'. Use when someone actively reduces something.
Formal suru-verb meaning 'to decrease' or 'to decline'. Common in news and reports.
売上高が減少した。
Sales decreased.
To say that strength, power, or intensity is decreasing.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to weaken' or 'to abate'. Used for wind, rain, influence, etc.
風が弱まった。
The wind decreased in strength.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to decline' or 'to wane', often for physical strength, health, or vitality.
To express a slow, steady decline.
Grammar pattern meaning 'is gradually doing'. Attach to verb stem. Formal.
需要は減少しつつある。
Demand is gradually decreasing.
Grammar pattern meaning 'continues to do' or 'keeps on doing', often with a negative nuance. Attach to dictionary form.
物価は上がる一方だ。
Prices just keep increasing. (Note: opposite meaning, but pattern is used for continuous change.)
貯金が減る一方だ。
My savings just keep decreasing.
They lowered the price.
体力が衰えてきた。
My physical strength is decreasing.