The Meaning of habuku [省く] In Japanese

省く
はぶく
Romaji: habuku N4

What does 省く mean?

Translation and Meaning

omit, exclude, economize, spare, curtail

Definition

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.

Type

verb (五段動詞)

Stroke Order

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

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.

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

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize the kanji 省 as a person trimming a long list to save space, and recall habuku by linking it to ‘omit’ via a cue like ‘have you cut?’.

Variations

  • 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)

Example Phrases

  • 朝の 無駄を 省く ため、 私は 早く 起きる。
    Asa no muda o habuku tame, watashi wa hayaku okiru.
    In order to cut out morning waste, I wake up early.
    Lista:
    • 朝の (asa no) – morning’s
    • 無駄を (muda o) – waste
    • 省く (habuku) – to omit
    • ため、 (tame,) – in order to
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 早く (hayaku) – early
    • 起きる。 (okiru.) – wake up
    省く is used in its dictionary form before 「ため」 to express purpose; here it means to eliminate/omit. 「ため」 marks the purpose of waking up early.
省く