Japanese symbol for “improvement”
改良
かいりょう
Romaji: kairyou
improvement; reform
In Japanese, improvement is 改良, read かいりょう (kairyou).
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, vs, vt improvement; reform
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “improvement”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 維持 | いじ iji | maintenance; preservation; improvement |
| 回復 | かいふく kaifuku | restoration; recovery; rehabilitation |
| 改善 | かいぜん kaizen | betterment; improvement |
| 向上 | こうじょう koujou | elevation; rise; improvement |
| 上達 | じょうたつ joutatsu | improvement (e.g. in skill, ability); advance; progress |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改善 | かいぜん kaizen | betterment; improvement |
| 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 |
| 改めて | あらためて aratamete | another time; again; over again |
| 良い | よい yoi | good; excellent; fine |
| 不良 | ふりょう furyou | bad; poor; inferior |
| 仲良く | なかよく nakayoku | on good terms (with); on friendly terms (with); (getting along) well |
See also: Chinese symbol for “improvement”.
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.