緩やか

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 緩やか, read ゆるやか, describes a slope or change that is gentle rather than steep or abrupt.
• Basic usage: In 売り上げは春から緩やかに回復している。, sales have been recovering gradually since spring.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Slope and rate of change
  • 緩やかな坂道 describes a gently sloping road, while 緩やかに回復 describes gradual recovery. Both contexts share the idea of something not being steep or abrupt.