鈍化

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: It is read どんか. 鈍 contributes sluggishness and 化 change, forming a word for a movement or rate of growth becoming slower.
• Basic usage: It describes slower growth in customer numbers or a reduction in a machine's working speed.
  • 雨の日が続き、商店街では客足の伸びが鈍化した。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Slower growth versus a falling total
  • 伸びが鈍化する means that the rate of increase slows. It differs from 減少, a decrease in the total, so customer numbers can keep rising even while their growth slows.