operate · manage

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 営 conveys running or managing an activity; its on-reading is えい and its kun-reading is いとなむ.
• Basic usage: 営業 is read えいぎょう, and 経営 is read けいえい; both occur in contexts of running a business.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Being open and managing a business
  • In the shop example, 営業している means it is open until the afternoon even on Sundays. 経営を立て直す means turning the business around, for example by reviewing expenses.
  • Both words can describe a family or couple running an inn. Their ranges of use do not always form completely separate categories.