Word
省く
Meaning in Englishto omit, to eliminate
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
省く means to omit or leave out something, to exclude or cut back in order to save time, space, or resources; it covers removing items from a list or text as well as reducing expenses or effort.
Main meanings
- Omit or leave out items, details, or steps from a list, text, or plan
- Economize by reducing expenses, time, or effort
- Exclude or remove unnecessary parts during editing or pruning
How to use it
Used as a transitive verb to omit items in lists or text, to cut back expenses or time, and to remove unnecessary parts during editing or planning; formal and written contexts are common, with を marking the direct object (as in 省く to omit something) and with nouns such as 情報, 詳細, コスト to specify what is omitted or reduced.
Variants and close terms
- 省く habuku — omit, economize
- 省略する shouryaku suru — omit details
- 削る kezuru — trim, shave off
- 加える kuwaeru — add (antonym)
Composition
- 省: save, economize, omit; the verb 省く is formed by attaching the kun'yomi く to the kanji 省 to express the action of omitting or economizing by removing parts
Etymology
Kun'yomi habuku; On'yomi shō; The verb form is built by attaching the suffix く to the kanji 省, reflecting a semantic shift from saving to omitting things.
Word class
verb (五段動詞)