The Meaning of shōryaku [省略] In Japanese

省略
しょうりゃく
Romaji: shōryaku N3

What does 省略 mean?

Translation and Meaning

omission, abbreviation, to omit

Definition

省略 means omission; the act of leaving out information, steps, or details in written or spoken Japanese, to simplify or condense.

Type

Noun (名詞), also used in compounds with する to form verbs

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • omission or leaving out information in text, speech, or process
  • shortening or abbreviation, a condensed form that removes parts
  • ellipsis or omission marks when punctuation indicates omitted material

Composition

  • 省 — to save or omit; core idea is reducing content by leaving out parts
  • 略 — outline, abbreviation, brief
  • Together they convey the act of saving and shortening by omitting details

Usage

Used in formal and informal contexts to describe or perform omission; in writing, manuals, and spoken discourse, 省略する indicates intentionally omitting parts; common collocations include 省略形 and 省略記号, with usage spanning explanations, instructions, and summaries.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a editor saving the edges of a paragraph and discarding the middle to keep only the essential parts, branding it as a deliberate省略.

Variations

  • 省く (habuku, omit)
  • 略す (ryakusu, abbreviate)
  • 省略記号 (shōryaku kigō, ellipsis symbol)

Example Phrases

  • 会議の一部を省略して、要点だけ端的に伝える。
    Kaigi no ichibu o shōryaku shite, yōten dake tanteki ni tsutaeru.
    I omit part of the meeting and just convey the main points.
    Lista:
    • 会議 (kaigi) – meeting
    • の (no) – of
    • 一部 (ichibu) – part
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 省略して (shōryaku shite) – omitting
    • 要点 (yōten) – main point
    • だけ (dake) – only
    • 端的に (tanteki ni) – concisely
    • 伝える (tsutaeru) – convey
    ‘省略’ is a noun meaning ‘omission’; here it is used as the object of the verb 省略する in the te-form 省略して to connect actions. Put 「省略」 to emphasize the word.
省略