Mutual Benefit in Chinese / Japanese...

This word means mutual benefit or mutually beneficial in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also be defined as reciprocity or reciprocal.

Note: In Japanese, they will tend to drop one stroke on the second character and write 互恵 instead of 互惠. If this small variation matters to you, please drop me a note when you place your order.

自他共栄 can be translated in a few different ways. Here are some possibilities:
Benefit mutually and prosper together.
Mutual welfare and benefit.
A learning concept of mutual benefit and welfare (that applies to all fields of society).
Mutual prosperity.

The first two characters are easy to explain. They are “self” and “others.” Together, these two characters create a word that means “mutual” (literally “me and them”).

The third character can have different meanings depending on context. Here, it means “in common” or “to share.”

The fourth character suggests the idea of “prosperity,” “flourishing,” or becoming “glorious.”

It should be noted that these Kanji are used almost exclusively in the context of Judo martial arts. 自他共榮 is not a common or recognized Japanese proverb outside of Judo.

You may see this romanized as Jita-Kyoei or Jitakyoei.

In modern Japanese Kanji, the last character looks like instead of . If you want the older/traditional version, please let us know when you place your order.

精力善用 means “maximum efficiency” and is often associated with Judo.

It is often matched with “Jita Kyoei” (mutual benefit) to complete the philosophy of Kodokan Judo.

精力 = sei ryoku = energy, vigor, and/or vitality.

善用 = zen yo = to be good at using (something), or to put (something) to good use.