The Ikigai Diagram Explained
The ikigai diagram is one of the most shared self-reflection tools in the world. Here is how to read it, use it, and understand its limitations.
Interactive Ikigai Diagram
Hover or tap each circle to explore what it represents.
Tap any area to explore ☝️
The Four Circles
❤️ What You Love (Passion)
Activities that make you lose track of time. Things you would do even if nobody was watching and nobody was paying. Your natural interests and the moments when you feel most alive.
⭐ What You're Good At (Talent)
Skills that come naturally to you — things others praise you for. These might be skills you have developed through practice, or talents you were born with. Often, your greatest strengths are invisible to you because they feel effortless.
🌍 What the World Needs (Mission)
Problems that frustrate you. Suffering you want to alleviate. Gaps in the world that you feel compelled to fill. This circle connects your personal gifts to something larger than yourself.
💰 What You Can Be Paid For (Vocation)
Value you can offer that others are willing to compensate. This does not necessarily mean a traditional salary — it could be freelancing, creating products, consulting, or building a business around your gifts.
The Overlaps
Passion
Love + Good At — You enjoy it and you excel, but it may not pay or serve others.
Mission
Love + World Needs — Meaningful but potentially unpaid and leveraging untrained skills.
Profession
Good At + Paid For — Stable and skilled, but potentially soulless without love or purpose.
Vocation
World Needs + Paid For — Useful and compensated, but may drain you without passion.
People Also Ask About the Ikigai Diagram
Is the ikigai Venn diagram real?
The diagram is a real framework — but it is not Japanese. It was created by British blogger Marc Winn in 2014 by combining the Japanese concept of ikigai with a separate purpose diagram by Andrés Zuzunaga.
Who created the ikigai diagram?
Marc Winn, a British blogger living on the island of Jersey, created it in 2014. He combined the Japanese idea of ikigai with a "purpose Venn diagram" originally created by Spanish astrologer Andrés Zuzunaga.
What are the 4 parts of ikigai?
The four parts are: What You Love, What You Are Good At, What the World Needs, and What You Can Be Paid For. The overlaps create Passion, Mission, Profession, and Vocation.
Find Your Place in the Diagram
Our personalised test maps your answers to the four circles and reveals your unique ikigai archetype.
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