妻の時短ダイエット朝食作り

What does 時短 (jitan) mean in Japanese?

時短 (jitan) is short for 時間短縮 (jikan tanshuku, “shortening of time”), and it’s become one of modern Japan’s favorite prefixes: 時短レシピ (quick recipes), 時短家事 (time-saving housework), 時短勤務 (a reduced-hours schedule for working parents). Anywhere Japanese daily life is being optimized for speed, chances are the word attached to it is 時短.

In this clip, a wife rushes through breakfast prep with only three minutes to spare, asked what she’s making: ダイエット朝食、時短 — a diet breakfast, made fast — juggling three appliances at once to save time (3つ使うの？そうそう、時短). Coined originally around shortened working hours, 時短 has since spread into cooking, cleaning, and commuting — and even produced 時短ハラスメント, the friction of being told to work fewer hours while still expected to hit the same targets.