The Meaning of kyuugeki [急激] In Japanese

急激
きゅうげき
Romaji: kyuugeki N3

What does 急激 mean?

Translation and Meaning

sudden, drastic, rapid

Definition

急激 means occurring very quickly or abruptly; it describes a rapid, drastic change or increase in degree, rate, or intensity, typically used for dynamic processes and in formal, technical contexts.

Type

adjective (na-adjective, 形容動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Rapid or drastic change in degree or pace
  • Used before a noun with the な-form as 急激なX to modify it
  • Common in scientific, economic, and news contexts to describe abrupt developments

Etymology

急 on-reading kyuu; 激 on-reading geki; A Sino-Japanese compound formed from two on-yomi kanji that together convey a sense of speed and intensity, yielding a word read kyuugeki.

Composition

  • 急: fast, urgent
  • 激: intense, fierce

Usage

In usage, 急激 is used to describe swift changes in quantities or rates, such as temperature, prices, or levels of growth or intensity; it’s formal and common in technical writing, journalism, and policy discussions; it attaches to nouns through the な-form as 急激な変化, 急激な増加, etc.
💡 Tips
Visualize a stopwatch speeding up and a bolt of energy; 急 implies hurry, and 激 adds intensity, so the compound conveys something that changes quickly and with strong impact.

Variations

  • 急速な (kyuusoku na) — rapid, swift
  • 突然の (totsuzun no) — sudden, abrupt
  • 劇的な (geki-teki na) — dramatic, striking
  • 漸進的な (zenshin-teki na) — gradual; opposite nuance

Example Phrases

  • 急激に雨が強くなり、傘を忘れたことを後悔した。
    kyūgeki ni ame ga tsuyoku nari, kasa o wasureta koto o kōkai shita.
    The rain suddenly got stronger, and I regretted forgetting my umbrella.
    Lista:
    • 急激に (kyūgeki ni) – rapidly
    • 雨が (ame ga) – the rain
    • 強くなり (tsuyoku nari) – became stronger
    • 傘を (kasa o) – umbrella
    • 忘れた (wasureta) – forgot
    • ことを (koto o) – the fact that
    • 後悔した (kōkai shita) – regretted
    O 「急激に」 funciona como advérbio de modo que marca mudança repentina na intensidade da chuva.
急激