How common it is
减 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say jiǎn slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
减用来表示减少或扣除的意思，常用于日常生活中计算物品数量或价格。
jiǎn lái yòng lái bǎo shí jiǎn huò dé yì sī ， cháng yòng yú rì kāi shēn qíng lǐ kè suàn wù pǐn shù liàng huò jià gé 。
减 is used to indicate reduction or subtraction, commonly found in daily life when calculating the quantity of items or prices.
Context note
减常用于购物、计算和日常对话中。例如，买水果时称重后可能会说：‘这个苹果要减去一元。’
jiǎn cháng yòng yú mǎo shù 、 kà suàn hé rì kāi dào huà zhōng 。 rú guǒ ， mǎi shuǐ guǒ shí chēng zhòng hòu néng huì shuō ： ‘ zhè gè píng guǒ yào jiǎn qù yī yuán 。’
减 is commonly used in shopping, calculations, and daily conversations. For example, when weighing fruit, you might say: 'This apple needs to be reduced by one yuan.'
5 examples
这个苹果要减去一元。
zhè ge píng guǒ yào jiǎn qù yì yuán。
This apple needs to be reduced by one yuan.
每天减少一点糖。
měi tiān jiǎn shǎo yì diǎn táng。
Reduce the sugar a little every day.
减去这个费用。
jiǎn qù zhè ge fèi yòng。
Subtract this fee.
每天的开支要减少。
měi tiān de kāi zhī yào jiǎn shǎo。
Daily expenses should be reduced.
减去这个项目。
jiǎn qù zhè ge xiàng mù。
Remove this project.
5 mini stories
妈妈每天早上都会给我一个苹果，但今天她给了我两个，所以我要把其中一个减掉。
mā ma měi tiān zǎo shàng dōu huì gěi wǒ yí gè píng guǒ， dàn jīn tiān tā gěi le wǒ liǎng gè， suǒ yǐ wǒ yào bǎ qí zhōng yí gè jiǎn diào。
Mom would give me one apple every morning, but she gave me two today. So I need to subtract one.
爸爸说这个月的开支要减少，所以我们决定少吃一些零食。
bà bà shuō zhè ge yuè de kāi zhī yào jiǎn shǎo， suǒ yǐ wǒ men jué dìng shǎo chī yì xiē líng shí。
Dad said that our expenses this month need to be reduced, so we decided to eat less snacks.
我们去超市买水果，称重后发现苹果要减价。
wǒ men qù chāo shì mǎi shuǐ guǒ， chēng zhòng hòu fā xiàn píng guǒ yào jiǎn jià。
We went to the supermarket to buy fruit, and after weighing it, we found that the apples were on sale.
妈妈让我每天少吃一点糖，这样可以减掉一些体重。
mā ma ràng wǒ měi tiān shǎo chī yì diǎn táng， zhè yàng kě yǐ jiǎn diào yì xiē tǐ zhòng。
Mom told me to eat less sugar every day, which can help reduce my weight.
我们去旅行，计划每天减少一些开支。
wǒ men qù lǚ xíng， jì huà měi tiān jiǎn shǎo yì xiē kāi zhī。
We are going on a trip and plan to reduce our expenses each day.