改革

• Reading: かいかく
• Romaji: kaikaku
• Kanji breakdown: 改 (kai) — change, renew, revise; 革 (kaku) — leather, reform, renew
• Pronunciation: /kai.ka.kɯ/

Meaning

Reform; reformation; reorganization. Fundamental change to improve a system or institution.

A noun and suru-verb meaning to reform or fundamentally reorganize a system or structure. Stronger than 改善 (kaizen, improvement) — 改革 implies large-scale, structural change rather than incremental improvement. Extremely common in political and business contexts. Appears in historical terms like 明治維新の改革 and modern phrases like 構造改革 (kouzou kaikaku, structural reform).

Examples

1. 政府は教育制度の改革に取り組んでいる。 The government is working on reforming the education system.
2. 社長が就任してから、社内の改革が進んだ。 Since the new president took office, internal reforms have moved forward.
3. 税制改革について国会で激しい議論が行われた。 There was heated debate in the Diet over tax reform.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, business, education

Tone: serious

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 改 (kai, change/renew) + 革 (kaku, leather/reform). The character 革 originally meant animal hide but extended to mean 'renew' or 'reform' through the idea of stripping away the old to reveal something new.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal