How to say "minimum" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 最低さいていno-adjective, na-adjectiveCovers 'lowest' — the bottom value or level, such as the day's lowest temperature or the minimum needed. It can also mean 'the worst,' so context tells you which sense is meant.
- na-adjective, nounA loanword meaning simply 'minimum.' It appears where the English word itself would feel at home — design or technical writing — so in everyday sentences one of the native words is usually the safer choice.
- 最小さいしょうno-adjectiveThe word for 'smallest' — smallest in size, amount, or degree. It is also the natural choice when 'minimum' is a value, as in mathematics and technical contexts.
- 極小きょくしょうna-adjective, no-adjectiveThis really means 'minuscule' — extremely small — more than it means 'minimum.' It is seldom the word you want for an ordinary 'minimum'; use it when stressing that something is vanishingly small.
- 最小限さいしょうげんno-adjectiveThe natural word for a minimum amount or degree: keeping something to a minimum, or the bare minimum needed. Choose it when the idea is limiting or reducing how much of something there is.
For a minimum amount or degree use 最小限; for the smallest value or size use 最小; 最低 stresses the lowest point or level; 「ミニマム」 is a loanword for technical or design contexts; 極小 really means minuscule.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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