改かい善ぜん

か

い

ぜ

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

改善する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

improvement; betterment

General term for making something better, applicable to processes, conditions, skills, etc. Used both as a noun and with する.

Related words· 8

改善 covers general or abstract improvement, while 改良 focuses on concrete, technical upgrades to a product or method.

改善 means fixing or bettering a flawed current state, whereas 向上 means raising an already-existing level, such as skill or quality.

好転 describes a situation naturally turning for the better, while 改善 usually implies a deliberate effort to make something better.

改革 refers to fundamental, structural change, while 改善 refers to incremental improvement of existing conditions.

Show 4 more

改あらたまるN1
改善する is a transitive, action-focused word meaning 'to improve something', while 改まる is intransitive and describes a system or habit becoming better on its own.
手てを入いれるN1
改善する focuses on making something better overall (an improvement), while 手を入れる suggests small, localized corrections rather than a broad upgrade.
整せい備びN2
改善 refers to making something better in general quality, while 整備 specifically means preparing or organizing systems, laws, or facilities for use.

Opposites

悪化 means a situation getting worse, the direct opposite of 改善, which means it getting better.

改善する means 'to improve', the opposite of 拗らせる, which means to make a situation worse.

改悪 refers to a change that makes something worse, while 改善 refers to a change that makes something better.

Don't confuse with

改革 means structural reform or overhaul of a system, while 改善 means making incremental improvements without necessarily changing the system itself.

改ざん and 改善 sound similar and share the kanji 改, but 改善 means a positive improvement while 改ざん means dishonest tampering.

改善 shares the kanji 改 and looks similar in writing, but it is read かいぜん and means 'improvement,' not 'term-end election' like 改選.