减 (jiǎn) – Word of the Day | Toronto Chinese Academy
Learn the Mandarin word “减 (jiǎn)” — meaning to reduce, decrease, or subtract. Includes pinyin, English definitions, example sentences, and visually similar characters.
Simplified： 减
Pinyin： jiǎn
Traditional： 減
to reduce, decrease
to subtract
to lessen, cut down
Examples:
1,
我想减肥，所以每天跑步。
I want to lose weight, so I run every day.
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2,
公司决定减员以降低成本。
The company decided to reduce staff to cut costs.
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3,
十减三等于七。
Ten minus three equals seven.
Visually Similar / Easily Confused Characters
At Toronto Chinese Academy, we highlight that 减 is very common in everyday contexts:
math (subtraction),
health (losing weight),
business (reducing costs).
It’s a versatile word every learner should master early.