Word
赤字
Meaning in Englishdeficit, go in the red
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
赤字 means a deficit or red ink; it denotes negative balance in financial records, indicating expenses exceed income, and is used in discussions of corporate, government, or personal budgets, often contrasted with 黒字 meaning profitable or in the black.
Main meanings
- Financial deficit or negative balance in ledgers, budgets, or statements.
- Figurative shortfall in resources, funding, or time.
- Usage in media or policy discussions to denote underfunding or losses.
How to use it
Used in formal and semi-formal contexts such as financial reports, budgets, and press coverage; also common in discussions of personal finances. Generally more common in written Japanese than in casual speech; used with verbs like become or appear to describe becoming or existing in deficit.
Variants and close terms
- 黒字 (くろじ, kuroji) — in the black; profitability
- 赤字経営 (あかじけいえい, akaji keiei) — deficit-driven management
- 赤字国債 (あかじこくさい, akaji kokusai) — government bonds issued to cover deficits
Composition
- 赤: red; signals negative outcomes in financial contexts, especially in ledger marks.
- 字: character; a written sign; together they form a concept of red ink used to denote a deficit or loss in documentation.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
英字
eiji
English letter (character)
N1
黒字
kuroji
balance (figure) in the black
N1
赤らむ
akaramu
to become red, to blush
N1
当て字
ateji
phonetic-equivalent character, substitute character
N1
十字路
juujiro
crossroads
N2
活字
katsuji
printing type
N2
習字
shuuji
penmanship
N2
赤道
sekidou
equator
N2
名字
myouji
surname, family name
Kanji