倹約
Meaning in Englishthrift, economy, frugality
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 倹約 mean? It denotes the habit of using resources, especially money, carefully and efficiently, embodying thrift and prudent budgeting to avoid waste.
Main meanings
- Thriftiness as a personal virtue and habit
- Prudent resource management in households or organizations
- Connotation of restrained consumption in budgeting contexts
How to use it
Used in formal and semi-formal contexts; commonly appears in personal finance discussions, budgeting guidance, and historical analyses of frugality; in conversation 倹約 tends to appear in written style or formal speech while 節約 is more common in everyday talk. Examples: 生活費を倹約する。倹約の精神を家庭で育てる。企業は倹約方針を採用している。
Variants and close terms
- 節約 (setsuyaku) — thrift, economizing
- 節制 (sessai) — restraint, moderation
- 質素 (shisō) — frugal living
- 散財 (sanzai) — squandering (antonym)
Composition
- 倹: frugal, economical; reduction of waste
- 約: limit, binding; contraction; together signaling economy
Origin
Borrowed from Classical Chinese 倹約, the term was adopted into Japanese through kanbun and Chinese literary influence; earliest attestations appear in classical and early modern Japanese writings and it became common in Edo-period fiscal and household management discourse.
Word class
Noun (名詞)