Meaning
The kanji 営 means to operate, to manage, and to run a business, establishment, or enterprise. Beyond commerce, it also holds the historical meaning of a camp or encampment — a place where organized activity is conducted under structured management. In contemporary Japanese, 営 appears most often in commercial and organizational contexts: running a shop, administering a company, or keeping any kind of ongoing operation afloat.
Etymologically, the traditional form is 營, composed of a roofed structure (冖, a cover or canopy) above an organized interior. Two fires (炏) in the older form evoke a bustling compound — fires burning, people working, everything purposefully managed. Japan's modern shinjitai simplification produced 営, keeping 冖 (cover) above a base suggesting sustained, organized activity. Visually, it depicts an establishment running purposefully under one roof.
This kanji has 12 strokes and is taught in 5th grade Japanese elementary school. Its JLPT level is N3, placing it among intermediate characters expected of learners working toward conversational and reading fluency. Shop signs, business news, and official documents all feature it regularly — learning 営 pays off quickly in real-world reading.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is エイ (ei), derived from Middle Chinese pronunciation. Nearly every major compound involving 営 uses this reading — it dominates in formal, business, and written Japanese.
- 営業 (eigyō) — business operations, sales; the most common compound for this kanji
- 経営 (keiei) — management, administration of a company or organization
- 運営 (un'ei) — operation, day-to-day running of a service or event
- 国営 (kokuei) — state-run, government-operated
- 営利 (eiri) — profit-making; used in 営利目的 (profit-seeking purpose)
Mastering the エイ reading opens up a wide vocabulary of business, management, and organizational terms that come up constantly in modern Japanese.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is いとな(む) (itonamu). This native verb means to carry on, to engage in, to conduct — often with a sense of diligent, sustained effort. It describes running something with dedication: a family business, a household, a livelihood. Its noun form いとなみ (itonami) refers to one's occupation or the daily activities that sustain life.
- 営む (itonamu) — to operate, to carry on a business or livelihood; e.g., 店を営む (to run a shop)
- 営み (itonami) — livelihood, daily occupation, the activities that sustain one's life
The verb いとなむ has a slightly literary or formal register. It appears frequently in written Japanese, essays, and formal speech, pairing naturally with words like 生活 (daily life) and 事業 (enterprise, business).
Common Words & Compounds
The kanji 営 shows up across a broad range of vocabulary. Below are over ten essential compound words organized by category:
Business Operations
- 営業 (eigyō) — business operations, sales; the foundational term for commercial activity
- 営業時間 (eigyō jikan) — business hours, opening hours of a shop or office
- 営業部 (eigyō-bu) — sales department within a company
- 営業停止 (eigyō teishi) — suspension of business operations, often as a penalty
- 営利 (eiri) — profit-making purpose; used to classify organizations
- 非営利 (hieiri) — non-profit; as in 非営利団体 (nonprofit organization)
Management & Administration
- 経営 (keiei) — management, administration; running an organization at a strategic level
- 経営者 (keieisha) — manager, business owner, executive
- 運営 (un'ei) — operation; the day-to-day running of a service, event, or body
- 直営 (chokuei) — directly managed; a company-operated (not franchised) store or facility
- 自営 / 自営業 (jiei / jiei-gyō) — self-employment, being one's own boss
Ownership Classification
- 国営 (kokuei) — nationally operated, state-run
- 公営 (kōei) — publicly operated, run by a municipality or public body
- 民営 (min'ei) — privately operated; the opposite of state-run
Military & Specialized Uses
- 陣営 (jin'ei) — camp, faction, political bloc; derives from the military camp meaning
- 兵営 (heiei) — military barracks, garrison
- 営林 (eirin) — forestry management, timber operations
Example Sentences
この店は24時間営業しています。
Kono mise wa nijūyo-jikan eigyō shite imasu.
This store operates 24 hours a day.
父は小さなレストランを営んでいます。
Chichi wa chiisana resutoran wo itonande imasu.
My father runs a small restaurant.
彼女は会社の経営に携わっています。
Kanojo wa kaisha no keiei ni tazusawatte imasu.
She is involved in managing the company.
その公園は市が直接運営しています。
Sono kōen wa shi ga chokusetsu un'ei shite imasu.
The city directly operates that park.
営業部の仕事はとても忙しいです。
Eigyō-bu no shigoto wa totemo isogashii desu.
The work in the sales department is very busy.
新しい支店を開いて事業を営むことにしました。
Atarashii shiten wo hiraite jigyō wo itonamu koto ni shimashita.
We decided to open a new branch and conduct our business there.
その工場は国営から民営に変わりました。
Sono kōjō wa kokuei kara min'ei ni kawarimashita.
That factory changed from state-run to privately operated.
彼は10年間この会社を経営してきました。
Kare wa jū-nenkan kono kaisha wo keiei shite kimashita.
He has been managing this company for ten years.
営利目的の団体と非営利団体では税金の扱いが違います。
Eiri mokuteki no dantai to hieiri dantai de wa zeikin no atsukai ga chigaimasu.
Tax treatment differs between profit-making organizations and non-profit organizations.
陣営が二つに分かれて激しく議論しました。
Jin'ei ga futatsu ni wakarete hageshiku giron shimashita.
The camp split into two factions and debated fiercely.
Memory Tip
Picture a covered compound (冖) — a traditional Japanese shopfront with a sloping roof — and beneath it, an owner who いとなむ (itonamu), quietly keeping the business going day after day. More than a building, 営 captures a living, active enterprise: something that demands steady effort to sustain. Sino-Vietnamese speakers have a built-in shortcut: this kanji reads DOANH, the same root as kinh doanh (business). That makes 経営 (keiei) almost a direct echo of kinh doanh. Whether you picture fires burning under a roof or a shopkeeper pulling open the shutters each morning, let 営 stand for purposeful, ongoing operation under one roof.