維持（いじ、iji）
- maintenance

The Japanese word 維持 (いじ) means to maintain, to preserve, or to sustain something. It implies keeping something in a particular state or condition, preventing it from changing or deteriorating. It can refer to tangible things like a building, or intangible things like a relationship or one's health. The core idea is about keeping something as it is. 維持 is a versatile word, applicable in various contexts.

⚫︎健康を維持する。 Translation: To maintain one's health. ⚫︎平和を維持するために努力する。 Translation: To make efforts to maintain peace. ⚫︎会社の経営を維持するのは難しい。 Translation: It's difficult to maintain the management of a company.

You can use 維持 in formal and informal situations. It's suitable for discussing keeping things in a certain state, regardless of whether it's related to physical objects, relationships, conditions, or abstract concepts. When talking about maintaining a state over a period of time, 維持 is a very appropriate word. It's often used with objects (e.g., maintaining a machine), or abstract nouns (e.g., maintaining relationships, maintaining order).

The word 維持 is typically written with the kanji 維持 (いじ). The reading is usually in hiragana: いじ. There are no significant variations in okurigana. It is often used as a verb with the suru-verb pattern, such as 維持する.

⚫︎ 保つ（たもつ）- to keep, to maintain (general use) ⚫︎ 保持する（ほじする）- to hold, to keep (often used for possession) ⚫︎ 継続する（けいぞくする）- to continue, to sustain ⚫︎ 維持管理（いじかんり）- maintenance (of equipment, etc.)

⚫︎ 破壊する（はかいする）- to destroy ⚫︎ 崩壊する（ほうかいする）- to collapse, to crumble ⚫︎ 失う（うしなう）- to lose ⚫︎ 悪化する（あっかする）- to deteriorate

この建物の美しさを維持するには、定期的なメンテナンスが必要です。 ・Translation: To maintain the beauty of this building, regular maintenance is necessary. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the use of 維持 in the context of maintaining a physical structure. The focus is on preventing the building from deteriorating and preserving its current state.

良い人間関係を維持するためには、コミュニケーションが大切です。 ・Translation: Communication is important to maintain good relationships. ・Explanation: This sentence applies 維持 to an abstract concept: maintaining relationships. It emphasizes that preserving good relationships needs effort.

The word 維持 is a compound word formed from two kanji: 維（い） and 持（じ）. 維 originally refers to the threads that connect and bind things. 持 means to hold or to keep. Together, they convey the meaning of “to hold things together” or “to maintain”.