Word
Kana: かいはつ Romaji: kaihatsu Level: N1

開発

Meaning in English

development, exploitation

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Dictionary

Word context

What it means

開発 means development. It refers to the process of creating or improving products, services, or systems, including software development, infrastructure projects, or the exploration and utilization of resources.

Main meanings

  • Software development or product development as a discipline or project
  • Resource development or exploitation, such as land, minerals, or energy
  • Urban or regional development and modernization initiatives
  • Progress or advancement in a field or industry

How to use it

Used primarily as a noun to denote the process of development; can also refer to exploitation of resources; used with 開発する to form a verb; formal in written contexts; common in business, technology, urban planning, and policy discourse.

Variants and close terms

  • 発展 — hatten
  • 開拓 — kaitaku
  • 資源開発 — shigen kaihatsu
  • 発達 — hattatsu

Composition

  • 開 open, to open; the core idea is making something accessible or startable
  • 発 launch, to begin; conveys initiating action leading to development

Etymology

開 kai, 発 hatsu; combined as kaihatsu; in Sino-Japanese compounds the readings are chosen to create a single noun meaning development.

Origin

Introduced through Sino-Japanese vocabulary; earliest usage appears in formal texts and became common with Meiji-era modernization and industrial planning.

Word class

noun (名詞); suru-verb (開発する) forms a verb meaning to develop.

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