How to say "sustainable" in Japanese

• 持続的じぞくてきCommon
  na-adjectiveThe broadest and most common of these: something continuous or sustained over time. Use it when 'sustainable' means a pace, growth, or practice that can be kept up long-term.
• 持続可能じぞくかのう
  na-adjectiveLiterally 'able to be sustained': the direct equivalent for the sense of something that can continue into the future without depleting what it depends on, the heart of environmental and economic 'sustainable'.
• サステナブル
  na-adjectiveThe English loanword in katakana. It appears where English 'sustainable' itself is current — corporate, media and marketing language — and can carry a buzzword flavor; 持続可能 is usually the safer choice in careful prose.
• 地球に優しいちきゅうにやさしい
  expressionLiterally 'kind to the earth': its real meaning is 'eco-friendly' or 'environmentally friendly'. It only loosely matches 'sustainable' in the ecological sense, and is seldom the word you want for 'sustainable' generally.
  あいつ、絶対ぜったいペーパータオル使つかわないんだぜ。地球ちきゅうに優やさしいやつってことだよな。↗

  She never uses paper towels. She is such a tree hugger, you know.

Use 持続的 for the general sense of something sustained or continuing over time, 持続可能 for the environmental and economic sense of being maintainable long-term, 「サステナブル」 where the English loanword fits corporate language, and 「地球に優しい」 only for 'eco-friendly'.

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

• 持続的じぞくてきcontinuous
• 持続可能じぞくかのうsustainable
• サステナブルsustainable
• 地球に優しいちきゅうにやさしいearth-friendly