短縮

たんしゅく

shortening, abbreviation, reduction

JLPT N1

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

The word 短縮 (たんしゅく) primarily means "shortening," "abbreviation," or "reduction." It is often used in formal or business contexts when referring to reducing time, length, or size.

Common Contexts

You will frequently see 短縮 used with time-related nouns like 会議の時間 (meeting time) or routes and distances. It also appears in language contexts to describe abbreviations or shortened forms of words.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 短縮する: to shorten or reduce something.
  • 短縮形: abbreviated form, contraction.
  • 時間を短縮する: to shorten the time.

Register and Nuance

This word is formal and often used in written or professional speech. It is less common in casual conversation where simpler verbs like 短くする might be preferred.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse 短縮 with 短い (short) or 縮小 (しゅくしょう, reduction in scale). 短縮 focuses on shortening length or time, often intentionally, while 縮小 implies scaling down size or scope.

Example Sentences

かいぎのじかんをたんしゅくするために、ぎだいをしぼりました。

To shorten the meeting time, we narrowed down the agenda.

このたんごはたんしゅくけいでつかわれることがおおいです。

This word is often used in its abbreviated form.

こうつうじゅうたいをさけるために、ルートをたんしゅくしました。

We shortened the route to avoid traffic congestion.