Translation guide
The act of restructuring or rearranging something, such as a company, system, or schedule. Japanese uses different words depending on what is being reorganised and whether it's a formal restructuring or a simple rearrangement.
Formal reorganisation of a company, government body, or large organisation, often involving structural changes, mergers, or downsizing.
The most common term for corporate or organisational restructuring, such as merging departments or reshuffling a company.
会社の再編が発表された。
A reorganisation of the company was announced.
政府機関の再編計画
a reorganisation plan for government agencies
From 'restructuring', often implies downsizing or layoffs. Common in business contexts but carries a negative nuance of job cuts.
Often implies job losses, so use carefully. Not a neutral term for all reorganisations.
リストラで部署がなくなった。
The department was eliminated due to restructuring.
Explicitly 'organisational restructuring', used in formal business or legal contexts.
組織再編により効率化を図る。
We aim to improve efficiency through organisational restructuring.
Changing the order, layout, or arrangement of items, ideas, or schedules.
General term for sorting out, tidying up, or putting things in order. Can be used for physical objects, data, or abstract concepts.
書類を整理する。
I'm reorganising the documents.
頭の中を整理したい。
I want to organise my thoughts.
Reassembling or rearranging components, like reorganising a schedule or restructuring a system.
Reconstruction or reconfiguration, often used for abstract things like memories, data, or systems.
データの再構成に時間がかかる。
Reorganising the data takes time.
Changing the structure or membership of a team, club, or social group.
Literally 'swap members', used when reorganising a team by changing who is in it.
チームのメンバーを入れ替えて再出発した。
We reorganised the team members and made a fresh start.
Reorganisation or reshuffling of a group, often used for military units, project teams, or bands.
バンドの再編成を発表した。
They announced a reorganisation of the band.
再編 (saihen) is for structural changes in organisations, while 整理 (seiri) is for tidying up or putting things in order. Use 再編 for company mergers, and 整理 for cleaning your desk or sorting files.
The English word 'reorganisation' covers many situations, but Japanese uses different words. Don't assume one word fits all. For simple rearrangement, 整理 is better; for corporate restructuring, 再編 is standard.
スケジュールの組み替えが必要だ。
We need to reorganise the schedule.