改善

• Reading: かいぜん
• Romaji: kaizen
• Kanji breakdown: 改 (kai) — reform, renew; 善 (zen) — good, virtue
• Pronunciation: /ka.i.zeɴ/

Meaning

Betterment; improvement; reform. Making something better than its current state.

A noun that also functions as a suru verb (改善する). Famous worldwide as the Japanese management philosophy 'kaizen' — continuous incremental improvement. Used broadly: 生活を改善する (improve one's lifestyle), 関係を改善する (improve a relationship), 改善点 (points for improvement). Both transitive (問題を改善する) and intransitive (状況が改善した) uses are common.

Examples

1. 生活習慣を改善しようと決めた。 I decided to improve my lifestyle habits.
2. サービスの改善に取り組んでいます。 We're working on improving our services.
3. 経済状況がようやく改善してきた。 The economic situation has finally started to improve.

Usage Guide

Context: business, self-improvement, management

Tone: constructive

Origin & History

Compound of 改 (kai, to reform/renew) and 善 (zen, good/virtue). 'Reforming toward good' — deliberately making changes to reach a better state. The concept of kaizen became globally known through Toyota's manufacturing philosophy.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal