karoshi (English)

Where does "karoshi" come from?

The English noun 'karoshi' was borrowed directly from the Japanese compound 'karōshi'[1][2]. The Japanese word is formed by combining 'karō', meaning 'overwork', with 'shi', meaning 'death'[1][2]. In English, it retains this exact meaning to describe death brought on by job related stress or overwork[1].

Full etymology tree

• karoshi (English), 'Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress.'
  • borrowed 過労死 (karōshi) (Japanese), 'karoshi (death from overwork)'
    • compound 過労 (karō) (Japanese), 'overwork'
    • compound 死 (shi) (Japanese)

Ancestors

• 過労死 (Japanese)

Cognates and doublets

• guolaosi (English)
• gwarosa (English)

Sources

1. karoshi (English) - Wiktionary
2. 過労死 (karōshi) (Japanese) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris