verb HSK 4
Traditional 減少
to reduce · to decrease · to lessen
Meaning
减少 means to make something smaller in quantity, number, or degree. It's a versatile verb used in both formal and informal contexts to express reduction or decrease of anything from physical amounts to abstract concepts like stress or problems.
Usage
减少 is commonly used in everyday speech, news, and academic writing. It can be used transitively (to reduce something) or intractively (something decreases). Often paired with specific percentages or amounts to indicate the degree of reduction. Native speakers frequently use it with words like 数量 (quantity), 成本 (cost), 污染 (pollution), and 压力 (pressure).
Examples
- 01我们需要减少塑料的使用。.We need to reduce the use of plastic.
- 02这个月的销售额比上个月减少了百分之十。' .This month's sales decreased by ten percent compared to last month.
Characters
Common collocations
- 减少污染reduce pollution
- 减少开支reduce expenses
- 减少浪费reduce waste
- 大大减少greatly reduce
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 减 (subtract/reduce) with 少 (few/less), creating a compound that literally means 'reduce to less' or 'make fewer'.