kaizen
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kaizen
- /ˈkaɪˌzən/
- /ˈkaɪˌzɛn/
Rhymes with -aɪzən
Where it comes from
From Japanese 改善 (kaizen かいぜん), from Middle Chinese 改善 (kój-dʒjén) (compare Mandarin gǎishàn 改善), from Old Chinese 改善 (*qˁəʔ-ɡenʔ "to correct errors"), from 改 ("to change") + 善 ("good").
Introduced to English in 1959 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente in his book Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business.
noun kaizens
- A Japanese business practice of continuous improvement in performance and productivity.
- Continuous improvement generally. This is a big mistake, because Japanese railways were largely built using British equipment and technology. But what they have done since is ruthlessly improve and refine it, using Kaizen principles.
verb kaizens · kaizening · kaizened
- To apply continuous improvement to (a task, or the worker who performs it).
Translations
Talk about this word "kaizen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kaizen. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. kaizen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kaizen "kaizen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kaizen.Cite this
@misc{kaizen_2026,
title = {kaizen},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kaizen},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
