"5S" was invented in Japan, and stands for five (5) Japanese words that start with the letter 'S': Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. Table 1 shows what these individual words mean. An equivalent set of five 'S' words in English have likewise been adopted by many, to preserve the "5S" acronym in English usage. These are: Sort, Set (in place), Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Some purists do not agree with these English words -
they argue that these words have lost the essence of the original 5 Japanese words.
5S Definitions
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Japanese Term
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English Equivalent
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Meaning in Japanese Context
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Seiri
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Tidiness
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Throw away all rubbish and unrelated materials in the workplace
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Seiton
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Orderliness
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Set everything in proper place for quick retrieval and storage
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Seiso
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Cleanliness
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Clean the workplace; everyone should be a janitor
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Seiketsu
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Standardization
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Standardize the way of maintaining cleanliness
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Shitsuke
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Discipline
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Practice 'Five S' daily - make it a way of life; this also means 'commitment'
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