karoshi
noun/kəˈɹəʊʃi/
Etymology Borrowed from Japanese 過労死 (karōshi), from 過労 (karō, “overwork”) + 死 (shi, “death”). Doublet of guolaosi and gwarosa.
1
Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress.
- For a while he began to speak Japanese, rather slangy, never having seemed to learn it — karoshi for death from overwork, yakitaori-ya for eatery, and gaijin for clumsy foreigner.1976, Bill Henderson, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, Pushcart Press, page 207:
- Second, we discuss the problem of karoshi, which is unique to Japan. Karoshi has become an increasingly serious problem.2006, Ronald J. Burke, Research Companion to Working Time and Work Addiction, page 158:
3 more examples
- […] I am a workaholic. […] The Japanese have a word for the problem: karōshi. It means “death from overwork.”[2007 November, Gil Schwartz, “Escape from the job monster”, in Men's Health, volume 22, number 9, →ISSN, page 120:
- In Japan there is a word for the consequences of extreme busyness: karoshi, which means 'death from overwork'. Karoshi happens when chronic fatigue, stemming from long hours and persistent stress, leads to stroke and heart disease. For most of us, the results of a busyness-induced allostatic load are much less dramatic, but still pretty bad: being 'always on' has been linked to reductions in performance, reduced memory, and increased health risks of all kinds: cardiovascular disease, reduced immune system performance and an earlier death. One expert in the US approximated that 60-90 per cent of all visits to the doctor were stress related.2008, Tony Crabbe, Busy, Preface, at page xi
- Since the 1980s, labor lawyers and citizens groups have been pushing for changes to the law to recognize karoshi as a serious social issue.2016 November 30, Emiko Jozuka and Yoko Wakatsuki, “Death by overwork: Pressure mounts on Japan to act”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 14 May 2025:
- Related terms
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