管理をする

The grammar is super simple and flexible. You take the noun—the thing you’re looking after—add the particle を, and then 管理をする. For example, if you're talking about money, it’s お金の管理をする. In more formal or written contexts, you can drop the を and just say 管理する. It’s like a Lego brick you can snap onto almost any responsibility. You can also use it to describe your role, like saying you are 'in charge of' a specific area at work.

You’ll hear this constantly in the workplace. Managing files, project schedules, or warehouse inventory all fall under this umbrella. But it’s also very personal! If you’re catching a cold, a friend might tell you to 'manage your physical condition' (体調管理). It’s also the perfect word for your digital life, like managing your passwords or your cloud storage. Use it whenever there is a system that needs maintenance or a resource that needs to be tracked. If you're at a meeting, you might use it to discuss how the team handles data.

Here’s a tricky part: don’t use it to mean 'I managed to do something.' In English, we say 'I managed to catch the train,' but in Japanese, that’s a totally different vibe (you'd use 間に合う). Also, be careful using it for people. If you say you 'manage' your friends or your partner, it sounds like you’re tracking them with a GPS and a spreadsheet. It’s a bit cold and robotic! For people, use words like まとめる (to lead/bring together) or 面倒を見る (to look after).

In Japan, being good at 自己管理 (self-management) is a huge deal. It’s often seen as the ultimate sign of a 'shakaijin' (a mature member of society). If you can’t manage your own health and you miss work because of a preventable cold, it’s sometimes viewed as a lack of professional responsibility rather than just bad luck. This phrase reflects the cultural value placed on order, reliability, and not causing 'meiwaku' (trouble) for others by being disorganized.

You’ll often see 管理職 (kanrishoku), which refers to people in managerial positions. There’s also 危機管理 (kiki kanri), which is crisis management—essential for when the office printer catches fire or the Wi-Fi goes down. Another common one is 時間管理 (jikan kanri), or time management, which we all probably need a little more of!