音読み: サク
訓読み: けずる
画数: 9
部首: りっとう（刂）
Meaning
To shave / Trim / Cut down / Reduce
- Basic forms
- 削る — shave; cut down / base form
- 削ります — shaves; cuts down / masu form
- 削った — shaved; cut down / ta form
- 削って — shaving … / te form
- 削らない — do not shave; do not cut down / negative
- 削れば — if (one) shaves; cuts down / conditional
- Common expressions
- 木を削る — carve wood
- 予算を削る — cut the budget
- 時間を削る — cut into time
- 表面を丁寧に削り取る — carefully shave off the surface
- More
- 削っている — is shaving; is cutting down / state
削る（けずる） is a godan transitive verb. It means to shave or scrape something away physically, and by extension to reduce amounts such as time, money, or budgets.
- 削る — to shave; to whittle down; to cut back
- 削減 — reduction; cutback
- 削除 — deletion; removal
- 研削 — grinding; abrasion
- 添削 — correction; editing (marking up writing)
削 carries the sharp feel of the blade radical 刂: thin shavings curling off wood or pencil, extra pieces pared away. From that image comes “to trim,” “to reduce,” and “to delete.”