{"id":29413,"date":"2018-04-18T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=29413"},"modified":"2023-05-31T01:20:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T01:20:30","slug":"learn-how-to-ganbaru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/learn-how-to-ganbaru\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn how to Ganbaru in Japanese!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re at school, work, a sports game or going on a date, the word ganbaru<\/strong> (\u9811\u5f35\u308b) and its imperatives ganbare\/ganbatte are used so frequently in Japan. But it\u2019s a difficult word to translate into other languages and we don\u2019t have a perfect word to translate into in English.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often described as \u201cdoing one\u2019s best,\u201d \u201cpersevering,\u201d or even \u201ctoughing it out.\u201d Not only is it a very common and useful word, I think it embodies a large part of Japanese culture and its seishinron<\/em> (\u7cbe\u795e\u8ad6), or the notion that determination or willpower can overcome adversity.<\/p>\n

The word is made of two kanji gan- (\u9811,) which is used in terms of stubbornness or strength, and -haru (\u5f35\u308b), which is to tighten or stick up. The term is related to gaman<\/em> (\u6211\u6162), or to endure the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity, stemmed from Zen Buddhism.<\/p>\n

\"Maneki<\/h2>\n

Good luck!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sometimes at the beginning of a new job or before taking a test or playing in a sports game, people will say to each other \u201cganbatte(ne\/kudasai)!\u201d It could be in situations where it\u2019s not necessary to tell them to work hard, but rather to wish them well, similar to saying, \u201cgood luck!\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, the word doesn\u2019t involve luck but effort, so it wouldn\u2019t make sense to say \u201cganbatte\u201d to someone who is hoping to win the lottery.<\/p>\n

Hang in there!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another usage is when someone is going through a hard time. Your friend may be having a long week at work or stressed out over a big project. You could say, \u201cganbatte(ne\/kudasai)\u201d like \u201chang in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

You could be working out and your trainer might say \u201cganbatte\u201d to encourage you to finish strong. If you\u2019re leaving work earlier than your co-workers, you might tell them \u201cganbatte\u201d in finishing up along with the standard otsukaresama<\/em> (\u304a\u75b2\u308c\u69d8).<\/p>\n

I will ganbaru<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cGanbarimasu!\u201d would be an appropriate response to anyone telling you to ganbaru. You can also say this when you are tasked with something or starting on some work to express your willingness to work hard and give it your all.<\/p>\n

\"xganbatte<\/h2>\n

Ganbar\u014d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ganbar\u014d is inclusive of the person saying it, such as \u201clet\u2019s ganbaru together,\u201d often used at sports games, projects and other activities requiring teamwork. It\u2019s also often been used to encourage regions affected by natural disasters, illnesses and other devastations.<\/p>\n

It may have started in 1995 after the Kobe earthquake, or the Great Hanshin earthquake, when the home baseball team Orix Buffaloes (then Orix BlueWave) started the \u201cGanbarou Kobe\u201d campaign to encourage the region and to support restoration. After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami<\/em> all 12 teams of the Nippon Professional Baseball league used the phrase \u201cGanbarou! Nippon\u201d for similar purposes. Ganbar\u014d has been used with other northeast regional names to encourage individual prefectures or regions.<\/p>\n

If used for children\u2019s reports in school, it often means there is not enough effort, meaning \u201cneeds work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ways to tell someone “ganbatte”<\/strong><\/h2>\n