稼働率

• Reading: かどうりつ
• Romaji: kadouritsu
• Kanji breakdown: 稼 (ka) — earn, work; 働 (do) — work, labour; 率 (ritsu) — rate, ratio
• Pronunciation: /ka.doː.ɾi.tsɯ/

Meaning

Operating rate; utilisation rate; uptime. The ratio of actual operating time or output to the theoretical maximum, expressed as a percentage.

Applied to factories, machines, servers, hotel rooms, and any asset with a finite capacity. A high 稼働率 indicates efficient use of resources; a low rate signals idle capacity or downtime. In manufacturing, it is a key performance indicator (KPI) for production efficiency. Also used in service industries such as hospitality and transport.

Examples

1. 工場の稼働率が80%を下回ったため、一部ラインの停止を検討している。 Because the factory's operating rate fell below 80%, management is considering halting some production lines.
2. 稼働率を向上させるには、設備のメンテナンス体制を抜本的に見直す必要がある。 To improve the utilisation rate, it is necessary to fundamentally overhaul the equipment maintenance regime.
3. データセンターのサーバー稼働率は常時99.9%に保たれている。 The server utilisation rate at the data centre is maintained at 99.9% at all times.

Usage Guide

Context: manufacturing, IT infrastructure, hospitality, operations management

Tone: technical

Origin & History

Compound of 稼働 (operation, being in service — from 稼 to earn/work + 働 to work) and 率 (rate, ratio). The term became widespread with Japan's post-war industrial expansion.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Business/Engineering