減 — decrease / reduce

Grade 5げん, へ

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

減 (readings: げん, へ; Japanese kanji) means “decrease / reduce”. It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 減少 (reduction).

Try it now

What does 減 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	減
Meaning	decrease / reduce
Readings	げん, へ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	減少 (reduction)

How to read 減

減 is read げん or へ depending on the word.

Words with 減

減少げんしょうsuy giảm
逓減giảm dần

Learn 減 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

🐒 Snow monkeys of Japan: why wild macaques bathe in a hot spring all winter Grade 5
🧊 Why does ice float on water? The 9% that keeps lakes alive in winter Grade 5
🚸 Why Japanese children walk to school alone from the age of six Grade 5

Updated: 2026-08-09