Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being." It lives at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

How do I find my ikigai?

Use the four-circle reflection: list what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The overlap is your ikigai. The Ikigai Discovery Tool on this page guides you through 20 questions.

Is ikigai a religion?

No. Ikigai is a cultural philosophy from Japan, particularly Okinawa. It is practiced as daily attention to small purposes, gardening, friendship, work, craft.

What is hara hachi bu?

Hara hachi bu means "eat until you are 80% full." It is one of the strongest dietary signals correlated with Okinawan longevity.

A moai is a small social circle, traditionally of 5 friends, who commit to support one another for life, financially, emotionally, and practically.

The discovery tool

Find your Ikigai.

Twenty questions across four categories. ~12 minutes. No login. Your answers are saved by browser session.

Step 1 of 4 · 0 / 20

愛 Step 1 of 4 What you LOVE

What activities make you forget to check your phone?

Time disappears here. That is a clue.

As a child, what did you do for hours that felt like minutes?

Childhood obsessions point to your nature.

If money were not a concern, what would you fill Monday morning with?

Take money out of the equation. What remains?

What subject can you talk about until friends gently change the topic?

Your enthusiasm is data.

When do you feel most alive?

Energy spikes are the body voting.

巧 Step 2 of 4 What you are GOOD AT

What do friends or colleagues come to you for, naturally?

What you do effortlessly is often a gift.

What do you do better than 80% of people you know?

Be honest. False modesty hides Ikigai.

What skill have you been refining for years without effort?

Compounded skill = quiet superpower.

What do you teach others without realizing you are teaching?

Tacit knowledge counts double.

Finish the sentence: I am surprisingly good atÔÇª

The word "surprisingly" disarms ego. Use it.

需 Step 3 of 4 What the world NEEDS

What injustice or pain in the world makes you angry enough to act?

Anger reveals values. Values reveal mission.

Whose life would you most like to make easier?

Your tribe is who you would serve before being asked.

If you could solve one problem permanently, which one?

Don't be modest here. Aim big.

What does your community keep failing at that you could help fix?

Local impact compounds globally.

What change would you fight for even if you knew you might lose?

Conviction is the second clue to mission.

報 Step 4 of 4 What you can be PAID FOR

What have people already paid you for, even informally?

Past payment is proof of demand.

What service or skill would you happily pay someone else to deliver?

That is a market. Could you serve it?

Where do your skills meet a budget that already exists?

Money flows where pain is loud.

Who could realistically pay you for what you love and are good at?

Be specific. Names, not categories.

What is the smallest version of a paid offer you could test in 30 days?

Your Ikigai needs a runway, not a moonshot.

Your name (optional) Email (optional)

Find your Ikigai.

Your Ikigai Map

Passion

Mission

Vocation

Profession