減 — “decrease / reduce” in Japanese

Grade 5げん, へ

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

“decrease / reduce” in Japanese is 減, read gen, he (げん, へ). 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 gen (げん) or he (へ) depending on the word.

Words with 減

減少げんしょう
逓減

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 — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 減

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28