Back to all words

Karoshi

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means death caused by overwork, a term first used to describe a phenomenon in Japanese corporate culture

Where does the word "karoshi" come from? It comes from Japanese karōshi, adopted directly into English (1980s-1990s).

karōshi→karoshi

Japanese · 1970s-1980s

"death caused by overwork"

coined by Japanese doctors to name sudden death from overwork

English · 1980s-1990s

"death from overwork"

picked up by international journalism covering Japan's corporate work culture

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom