Ikigai

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Giving a sense of purpose (Japanese)

title: "Ikigai" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["happiness", "culture-of-japan", "japanese-words-and-phrases", "mental-states", "self", "sociological-terminology", "words-and-phrases-describing-personality", "philosophy-of-life"] description: "Giving a sense of purpose (Japanese)" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Giving a sense of purpose (Japanese) ::

is a Japanese concept referring to what an individual defines as the meaning of their life.

Meaning and etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ja () as "a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living". More generally, it may refer to something that brings pleasure or fulfillment.

The term compounds two Japanese words: and , which, when combined and sequentially voiced as gai, result in the meaning 'a reason for living [being alive]; a meaning for [to] life; what [something that] makes life worth living; a 'raison d'être'.

In their book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles explain, "This Japanese concept, which translates roughly as 'the happiness of always being busy,' is like logotherapy, but it goes a step beyond." In 2022, the Japanese government posted an article on their official website stating, "A broad concept, it [ikigai] refers to that which brings value and joy to life: from people, such as one's children or friends, to activities including work and hobbies."

The Ikigai diagram

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Diagramo_de_Ikigajo_-en.svg" caption="An example of a Ikigai diagram"] ::

In their book, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles include a Venn diagram created by Marc Winn, which in turn was likely inspired by the "purpose" diagram created in 2011 by Andrés Zuzunaga, replacing "purpose" with "ikigai." This diagram includes four elements: what a person likes, what a person is good at, what the world needs, and what can be rewarded. When these four elements overlap, that person has found their ikigai.

The diagram does not originate in Japan, and has been described as an "unrealistic ideal" that is "catchy but misleading".

Overview

ja can be described as having a sense of purpose in life, as well as being a source of motivation. According to a study by Michiko Kumano, feeling ja as described in Japanese usually refers to the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that follows when people pursue their passions. Activities that generate the feeling of ja are not imposed on an individual; they are perceived as spontaneous and undertaken willingly, making them personal and dependent on a person's inner self.

According to Japanese psychologist Katsuya Inoue, ja is a concept that consists of two aspects: "sources or objects that bring value or meaning to life" and "a feeling that one's life has value or meaning because of the existence of its source or object". Inoue classifies ja into three categories – social ja, non-social ja, and anti-social ja – from a social perspective. Social ja refers to form of ja accepted by society, such as volunteer activities and community activities. A non-social ja refers to ja that is not directly related to society, such as faith or self-discipline. Anti-social ja refers to ja, which is the basic motivation for living through dark emotions, such as the desire to hate someone or something or to continue having a desire for revenge.

National Geographic reporter Dan Buettner suggested that ja may be one of the reasons for the longevity of the people of Okinawa. According to Buettner, Okinawans have less desire to retire and they continue doing their favorite job as long as they remain healthy. ja, a close-knit group of friends, is also considered an important reason for the people of Okinawa to live long.

Early popularization

Ikigai was first popularized by the Japanese psychiatrist and academic Mieko Kamiya in her 1966 book, On the Meaning of Life.

Importance

In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, ja was thought to have two primary forms of manifestation: either in terms of the betterment of society ("subordinating one's own desires to others") or the improvement of oneself ("following one's own path").

According to anthropologist Chikako Ozawa-de Silva, for an older generation in Japan, their ja was to "fit this standard mold of company and family", whereas the younger generation reported their ja to be about "dreams of what they might become in the future".

Studies have shown that people who do not experience ja are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. However, there was no evidence of any correlation with development of malignant tumors.

Ikigai scale

| 1 = Add details about the scale | section = 5 | small = no | date = October 2024 An Ikigai scale has been constructed to measure the effects on mental and physical health effects on those people who practice it.

References

(2021). "Health Benefits of Ikigai: A Review of Literature". Concurrent Disorders Society Publishing.
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"What Japan makes of ikigai {{!}} The Economist".
"Are we deciphering 'Ikigai' all wrong? The truth behind Japan’s most misunderstood philosophy - The Economic Times".
Schippers, Michaéla. (2017-06-16). "IKIGAI: Reflection on Life Goals Optimizes Performance and Happiness". Erasmus Research Institute of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Mathews, Gordon. (1996). "The Stuff of Dreams, Fading: Ikigai and "The Japanese Self"". Ethos.
(2019-12-13). "Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life". Frontiers in Psychology.
Kumano, Michiko. (2018-06-01). "On the Concept of Well-Being in Japan: Feeling Shiawase as Hedonic Well-Being and Feeling Ikigai as Eudaimonic Well-Being". Applied Research in Quality of Life.
Nakanishi, N. (1999-05-01). "'Ikigai' in older Japanese people". Age and Ageing.
(2022). "Ikigai and subsequent health and wellbeing among Japanese older adults: Longitudinal outcome-wide analysis". The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific.
(2022). "Purpose in life (Ikigai) and employment status in relation to cardiovascular mortality: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study". [[BMJ Open]].
(2023). "Can Ikigai Predict Anxiety, Depression, and Well-being?". International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
Inoue, Katsuya. (2000). "Psychology of Aging". Chuo Hoki Shuppan.
Buettner, Dan. (September 2009). "How to live to be 100+".
(2024-02-29). "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Joyful Life".
(2017). "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life". Penguin Books.
Kamiya, Mieko. (1980). ""『生きがいについて』 ("On the Meaning of Life" in Japanese)"". Misuzu Shobo.
(2017-03-27). "Happiness and the Good Life in Japan". Taylor & Francis.
Ozawa-de Silva, Chikako. (2020-02-11). "In the eyes of others: Loneliness and relational meaning in life among Japanese college students". Transcultural Psychiatry.
Sone T.. (2008). "Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan: Ohsaki Study". Psychosomatic Medicine.
Tanno K.. (2009). "Associations of ikigai as a positive psychological factor with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese people: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study". Journal of Psychosomatic.
(1994). "Evaluation of a revised "Ikigai" scale and the relationship between motivation for achievement of a purpose and mental health in senior high school students". Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi.

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