Japanese symbol for “betterment”
改善
かいぜん
Romaji: kaizen
betterment; improvement
In Japanese, betterment is 改善, read かいぜん (kaizen).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs betterment; improvement
- n kaizen (Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “betterment”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改良工事 | かいりょうこうじ kairyoukouji | improvement work (construction); betterment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改正 | かいせい kaisei | revision; amendment; alteration |
| 改革 | かいかく kaikaku | reform; reformation; reorganization |
| 改造 | かいぞう kaizou | remodeling; remodelling; reconstruction |
| 改良 | かいりょう kairyou | improvement; reform |
| 改めて | あらためて aratamete | another time; again; over again |
| 善意 | ぜんい zen'i | virtuous mind |
| 親善 | しんぜん shinzen | friendship; goodwill; friendly relations |
| 慈善 | じぜん jizen | charity; benevolence; philanthropy |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.