Hello, there. Apologies if this actually is something that belongs in r/Translation. I also looked at r/Kaizen, but it’s a very small sub that looks pretty infrequently used, so I came here.
I’ve recently been made aware of this practice of *kaizen*, and I like the idea of a phrase that means “continuous self-improvement.” I’m a person who works hard to learn and grow and become better every day. But I also have read that this phrase is primarily used in a business context, kind of like Ohno Taiichi’s “The Five Whys”.
Is there a different form of this that I should use to refer to actually improving myself (knowledge, wisdom, education, patience, etc), or would people understand if I apply *kaizen* to myself?
2 comments
Kaizen is a business term. If you use it about yourself, you’re misusing it, really.
I have mainly heard it discussed in terms of kanban/JIT type mindsets which are (sadly) still very prevalent in many companies today – even amidst all the supply chain issues going on. It was super popular 20 years ago.
It’s situational. I’d say jyoutatsu for improvement but, it depends.
It always applies to someTHING.
You can say you want to improve your lifestyle- ライフスタイルを改善したい or you want to improve the way you do things やり方を改善したい but never say you want to 改善 yourself.