Translation guide
How to express 'slacken' in Japanese, covering physical loosening, reducing speed or intensity, and becoming less strict.
To make something less tight, such as a rope, belt, or screw.
General verb for loosening something that is tight. Transitive (you loosen something).
To slow down, decrease effort, or become less active.
To relax rules, discipline, or control.
緩める (yurumeru) is transitive (you loosen something), while 緩む (yurumu) is intransitive (something becomes loose). Use を with 緩める and が with 緩む.
The English idiom 'slack off' (be lazy) is not directly translated with 緩める. Use 手を抜く (te o nuku) or サボる (saboru) instead.
ベルトを緩めた。
I loosened my belt.
ネジを緩めてください。
Please loosen the screw.
Intransitive: something becomes loose by itself.
靴ひもが緩んだ。
My shoelaces came loose.
To let something go slack, like a rope or line, often intentionally.
ロープをたるませた。
I slackened the rope.
Used metaphorically for reducing pace, effort, or strictness. Transitive.
スピードを緩めた。
I slackened my speed.
仕事のペースを緩めた。
I slackened the pace of work.
To drop or reduce speed, often used with スピード or ペース.
車はスピードを落とした。
The car slackened its speed.
Intransitive: for wind, rain, or force to slacken/diminish.
風が弱まった。
The wind slackened.
To slack off, cut corners, or not put in full effort. Often negative nuance.
彼は仕事で手を抜いている。
He is slackening off at work.
Transitive: to relax regulations, restrictions, or discipline.
規制を緩めた。
They slackened the regulations.
To ease or mitigate restrictions, tension, or pain. More formal.
制限を緩和した。
They slackened the restrictions.
To be lenient, to go easy on someone. Often used for discipline or grading.
先生は採点を甘くした。
The teacher slackened the grading.