𝗜𝗸𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗸𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗶 (生き甲斐) Ikigai (生き甲斐, lit. 'a reason for being') is a Japanese concept referring to what an individual defines to be the meaning of their life. Ikigai was first popularised by the Japanese psychiatrist and academic Mieko Kamiya in her 1966 book, On the Meaning of Life (生きがいについて, ikigai ni tsuite). According to Japanese psychologist Katsuya Inoue, ikigai is a concept that consists of two aspects: "sources or objects that bring value or me