改善

Chinese

		to change; to alter; to transform to change; to alter; to transform; to correct	good
trad. (改善)		改	善
simp. #(改善)		改	善

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gǎishàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄞˇ ㄕㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): goi² sin⁶

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kói-san
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kái-siǎn / kái-siān

  (Teochew, Peng'im): goi² siang⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gǎishàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄞˇ ㄕㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gǎishàn
    • Wade–Giles: kai³-shan⁴
    • Yale: gǎi-shàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gaeshann
    • Palladius: гайшань (gajšanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: goi² sin⁶
    • Yale: gói sihn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: goi² sin⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: goi² xin⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːi̯³⁵ siːn²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kói-san
    • Hakka Romanization System: goi` san
    • Hagfa Pinyim: goi³ san⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /koi̯³¹ san⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kái-siǎn
    • Tâi-lô: kái-siǎn
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kai⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɛn²²/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kái-siān
    • Tâi-lô: kái-siān
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kaysien
    • IPA (Singapore): /kai⁴²⁻²⁴ siɛn²²/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɛn²²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kai⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɛn³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɛn³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: goi² siang⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kói siăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /koi⁵²⁻³⁵ siaŋ³⁵/

Verb

改善

1. to improve; to better

   我想改善我的打字速度和準確性。 [MSC, trad.]
   我想改善我的打字速度和准确性。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xiǎng gǎishàn wǒ de dǎzì sùdù hé zhǔnquèxìng. [Pinyin]

   I'd like to improve my typing speed and accuracy.

Usage notes

改變／改变 (gǎibiàn) conveys any kind of change, while 改善 (gǎishàn) conveys a change for the better.

Synonyms

• 健全 (jiànquán)
• 出息 (colloquial)
• 前進／前进 (qiánjìn)
• 完善 (wánshàn)
• 提升 (tíshēng)
• 提懸／提悬 (Min Nan)
• 提高 (tígāo)
• 改良 (gǎiliáng)
• 改進／改进 (gǎijìn)
• 躍進／跃进 (yuèjìn)
• 進展／进展 (jìnzhǎn)
• 進步／进步 (jìnbù)

 

Japanese

Kanji in this term
改	善
かい Grade: 4	ぜん Grade: 6
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka̠izẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

改(かい)善(ぜん) • (kaizen) 

1. improvement, an action taken to improve
2. improvement, a spontaneous change for the better

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "improvement"): 改悪(かいあく) (kaiaku)

See also

• 上達(じょうたつ) (jōtatsu)
• 改良(かいりょう) (kairyō)

Verb

改(かい)善(ぜん)する • (kaizen suru) transitive or intransitive suru (stem 改(かい)善(ぜん)し (kaizen shi), past 改(かい)善(ぜん)した (kaizen shita))

1. (transitive) to improve, to make better
2. (intransitive) for something to improve on its own

   症状(しょうじょう)が改善(かいぜん)する

   shōjō ga kaizen suru

   the symptoms improve

Conjugation

Conjugation of "改善する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	改善し	かいぜんし	kaizen shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	改善し	かいぜんし	kaizen shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	改善する	かいぜんする	kaizen suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	改善する	かいぜんする	kaizen suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	改善すれ	かいぜんすれ	kaizen sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	改善せよ¹ 改善しろ²	かいぜんせよ¹ かいぜんしろ²	kaizen seyo¹ kaizen shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	改善される	かいぜんされる	kaizen sareru
Causative	改善させる 改善さす	かいぜんさせる かいぜんさす	kaizen saseru kaizen sasu
Potential	改善できる	かいぜんできる	kaizen dekiru
Volitional	改善しよう	かいぜんしよう	kaizen shiyō
Negative	改善しない	かいぜんしない	kaizen shinai
Negative continuative	改善せず	かいぜんせず	kaizen sezu
Formal	改善します	かいぜんします	kaizen shimasu
Perfective	改善した	かいぜんした	kaizen shita
Conjunctive	改善して	かいぜんして	kaizen shite
Hypothetical conditional	改善すれば	かいぜんすれば	kaizen sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Korean

Hanja in this term
改	善

Noun

改善 • (gaeseon) (hangeul 개선)

1. Hanja form^? of 개선 (“improvement, reform”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
改	善

Verb

改善

1. chữ Hán form of cải thiện (“to improve”).