Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kaizen

/ˈkaɪˌzən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.07 in modern English

Syllables: kaizen
IPA: /ˈkaɪˌzən/

19

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Japanese business practice of continuous improvement in performance and productivity.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Continuous improvement generally.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To apply continuous improvement to (a task, or the worker who performs it).

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"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."

Etymology

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.

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: 改善, -

Usage

Inflected Forms

kaizens (plural) kaizens (present, singular) kaizening (participle, present) kaizened (participle, past) kaizened (past)

Phrases

quality circle

Frequently Paired Words

quality circle

Rhymes With

bison bedizen

Questions

How do you pronounce kaizen?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkaɪˌzən/.
What does kaizen mean?: A Japanese business practice of continuous improvement in performance and productivity.
Where does kaizen come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce kaizen

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kaizen”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkaɪˌzən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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