How to say "cultivation" in Japanese

• 開発かいはつJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers 'cultivation' only as a secondary sense of development, e.g. opening land or resources for use. For farming or growing plants this is not the word you want; it really means development.
  エンドユーザーの視野しやにたった商品しょうひん開発かいはつが必須ひっす。↗

  Our new product development efforts must be done from the end user's viewpoint.
• 栽培さいばいJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe usual word for cultivation in the agricultural sense: growing crops, vegetables, or plants under human care. If you mean cultivating plants, this is almost certainly the word you want.
  その農場のうじょう経営者けいえいしゃは色々いろいろな種類しゅるいの作物さくもつを栽培さいばいしている。↗

  The farmer cultivates a variety of crops.
• 開拓かいたくJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbCultivation as reclaiming wasteland or breaking untilled ground for first use. It also extends to pioneering new fields of endeavour; for ordinary farming of established land, 栽培 fits better.
  新あらたな入植者にゅうしょくしゃ達たちがその広大こうだいな荒野あらのを開拓かいたくした。↗

  The newcomers cultivated the immense wilderness.
• 培養ばいようCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbCultivation in the biological and medical sense: culturing bacteria, cells, or other microorganisms in a laboratory. For plants in fields or gardens this is not the appropriate word.
• 教養きょうようJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounCultivation of the mind: refined education, culture, and sophistication in a person. Use this only for personal cultivation in the intellectual sense, never for growing plants or organisms.
  その医者いしゃは教養きょうようのある人ひとだ。↗

  The doctor is a man of culture.

For 'cultivation', 栽培 is for growing crops, 培養 for culturing organisms, 開拓 for breaking new land, 開発 for development, and 教養 for cultivated refinement of mind.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 開発かいはつdevelopment
• 栽培さいばいcultivation
• 開拓かいたくreclamation (e.g. of wasteland)
• 培養ばいようculture
• 教養きょうよう(understanding or appreciation of) culture
• 養殖ようしょくaquaculture
• 琢磨たくまpolish (jewels)
• 耕作こうさくcultivation
• 農耕のうこうfarming
• 育成いくせいrearing
• 養成ようせいtraining
• 修養しゅうようself-improvement
• 涵養かんようcultivation (of character, virtue, etc.)
• 鍛成たんせいcultivation
• 培植ばいしょくcultivation (of plants)
• 耕耘こううんplowing and weeding
• 陶冶とうやtraining
• 練磨れんまtraining
• 教育きょういくculture
• 作さくharvest