[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-article-local-ganbatte-meaning":3,"$fHZsWYl_LcdVZ5GxKwtR-ZqvCZbbUdo2_Fi6R_GQKiQM":1035,"blog-article-cms-ganbatte-meaning":1037,"article-hreflang-ganbatte-meaning":1038,"blog-article-related-ganbatte-meaning":1700},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":1015,"extension":1016,"meta":1017,"navigation":1028,"path":1029,"rawbody":1030,"seo":1031,"stem":1032,"__hash__":1033,"timestampUnix":1018,"slug":1019,"h1":1020,"image":1021,"tags":1026,"timestamp":1034,"locale":-1},"content\u002Farticle\u002Fjapanese\u002Fjapanese-ganbaru.md","Ganbatte or Ganbare? How to use this Japanese word (like a pro)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":992},"minimark",[9,28,31,34,37,74,79,82,94,96,99,106,109,114,123,126,129,139,142,154,157,159,163,166,169,172,177,180,184,187,199,206,213,216,311,314,404,407,419,421,425,428,434,455,458,463,466,477,480,484,491,494,505,509,512,536,547,551,557,560,570,573,595,609,613,620,633,636,639,659,662,686,696,700,707,713,719,722,735,738,741,744,748,754,757,763,768,770,780,790,794,803,807,813,826,829,833,836,849,855,878,880,884,887,890,896,899,902,908,911,925,932,938,942,944,948,955,958,961,965,969,972,975,978,986,989],[10,11,12,13,18,19,23,24,27],"p",{},"This article will look at the origins of ganbatte ",[14,15],"custom-audio",{"src":16,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばって.mp3","3"," ",[20,21,22],"em",{},"(\"do your best!\")"," and explain how to use the many forms of ganbaru ",[14,25],{"src":26,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばる.mp3"," to be the best team player you can be in Japanese.",[10,29,30],{},"More specifically, we'll talk about:",[32,33],"toc",{},[35,36],"hr",{},[38,39,40,45,48],"blockquote",{},[41,42,44],"centered-text",{"bold":43,"underline":43},"","\nA quick note\n",[46,47],"br",{},[41,49,50,51,54,55,60,61,63,65,66,65],{},"\nYou'll sometimes see \n",[20,52,53],{},"ganbaru","\n written in kanji as 頑張る and other times in hiragana as がんばる. We'll use hiragana in this article, to make it a bit more accessible, but if you want to \n",[56,57,59],"a",{"href":58},"\u002Flearn-japanese","learn Japanese","\n, you should understand both! You'll see both in real Japanese content. \n",[46,62],{},[46,64],{},"\n \n",[20,67,68,69,73],{},"(If you don't know hiragana yet, skim through ",[56,70,72],{"href":71},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjapanese\u002Fthe-japanese-language-hiragana","this crash course"," really quick!)",[75,76,78],"h2",{"id":77},"the-meaning-of-ganbatte","The meaning of Ganbatte",[10,80,81],{},"がんばって (ganbatte) comes from 頑張る (ganbaru), a verb that means to persevere and work hard; especially when times are tough. The word carries the implicit meaning of seeing something through to the end. You can kind of see this by taking a close look at the kanji it's made of:",[41,83,84,85,93],{},"\n → \n",[20,86,87,88,92],{},"(on the off chance you don't know ",[56,89,91],{"href":90},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjapanese\u002Fhow-to-learn-kanji","what kanji are",")","\n ← \n",[46,95],{},[10,97,98],{},"The first kanji 頑 carries the meaning “stubborn” or \"firm.\"",[100,101],"img",{"src":102,"width":103,"height":104,"alt":105},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-頑.jpeg",1756,1210,"A screenshot of the 頑 lesson from Migaku's kanji course",[10,107,108],{},"The second kanji 張 carries the meaning “stretch\" or \"spread.”",[100,110],{"src":111,"width":112,"height":104,"alt":113},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-張.jpeg",1736,"A screenshot of the 張 lesson from Migaku's kanji course ",[38,115,116],{},[10,117,118],{},[20,119,120],{},[41,121,122],{},"Both of these flashcards come from Migaku's Kanji Course. ",[10,124,125],{},"And it is at this point where the history behind ganbaru gets interesting.",[10,127,128],{},"You see, etymologically speaking, there are two separate theories as to how we ended up with the modern ganbaru.",[130,131,132,136],"ol",{},[133,134,135],"li",{},"The first argues that 我を張る (ga o haru) is considered the origin of the modern がんばる (ganbaru), which means “to insist on one’s own ideas.”",[133,137,138],{},"The second argues that ganbaru evolved from 眼張る (ganharu) which meant to “keep watch; observe closely” (literally stretch one’s eyes).",[10,140,141],{},"Both of these theories are rich with evidence dating back to the Edo period (1603–1867), but the main takeaway is the common denominator of 張る (haru). By noticing this kanji 張 which means to stretch or strain, you can see how this colors the article in a way that's a bit more nuanced than a simple \"good luck\"—there's also some \"sticking to it\" and \"never giving up\" mixed in there.",[10,143,144,145,153],{},"What's more, there are different \"forms\" of ganbaru (in linguistics, this is called ",[20,146,147],{},[56,148,152],{"href":149,"rel":150},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FGrammatical_conjugation",[151],"nofollow","conjugation","). They all have the same basic underlying meaning, but their nuance is different. For example, a shout of がんばって (ganbatte) might be translated as “Hang in there!”, whereas the past tense がんばった (ganbatta) would likely be more straightforward: \"I did my best.\"",[10,155,156],{},"Basically, a single translation can't tell us the whole story, here.",[35,158],{},[75,160,162],{"id":161},"japanese-ganbatte-vs-english-good-luck","Japanese “Ganbatte” vs. English “Good Luck”",[10,164,165],{},"If がんばって (ganbatte) means good luck, why do we need an entire article about it?",[10,167,168],{},"Well, it's because things aren't quite that easy.",[10,170,171],{},"While every language can express every idea, and we can translate from one language to another just fine, there's always something lost in translation—some words have different nuances, and some ideas would be expressed differently (if they're expressed at all). These are, after all, entirely different cultures with different ways of communicating and seeing the world.",[38,173,174],{},[10,175,176],{},"With this in mind, when relying on one-to-one translations, you risk not only the erasure of cultural depth―thereby robbing yourself of knowledge―but you also risk missing important nuances that could get in the way of you communicating what you originally intended.",[10,178,179],{},"Now, let’s go through the usage and nuances of each form of ganbaru you’re likely to encounter.",[75,181,183],{"id":182},"verbs-and-verb-forms-in-the-japanese-language","Verbs and verb forms in the Japanese language",[10,185,186],{},"On the off-chance that you're new to the Japanese language, you should know that Japanese has three main types of verbs:",[188,189,190,193,196],"ul",{},[133,191,192],{},"る (ru) verbs → these end in ~る",[133,194,195],{},"う (u) verbs → these end in in an ~う sound (-ru, -su, -tsu, etc... if a word ends in ~る, it technically ends in ~u, too! )",[133,197,198],{},"Irregular verbs",[10,200,201,202,205],{},"Ganbaru ends with -る, but is considered an う verb, not a -る verb. ",[20,203,204],{},"(This is tricky and annoying, but you'll get a feel for it as you spend more time with japanese.)"," A verb's type affects how it is conjugated.",[10,207,208,209,212],{},"Here are two tables with the most common forms of ganbaru—not ",[20,210,211],{},"all"," of them, but the ones you’re likely to hear and use when cheering someone on.",[10,214,215],{},"First, here's the plain forms of the verb, which you can use with people your age, family members, and people that you know well:",[217,218,219,256],"table",{},[220,221,222],"thead",{},[223,224,225,232,239,244,250],"tr",{},[226,227,228,229,231],"th",{},"がんばる ",[14,230],{"src":26,":type":17},"   ",[226,233,234,235,238],{},"がんばった ",[14,236],{"src":237,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張った.mp3","    ",[226,240,241,242,231],{},"がんばって ",[14,243],{"src":16,":type":17},[226,245,246,247,238],{},"がんばれ ",[14,248],{"src":249,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばれ.mp3",[226,251,252,253,231],{},"がんばろう ",[14,254],{"src":255,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ろう.mp3",[257,258,259,277,294],"tbody",{},[223,260,261,265,268,271,274],{},[262,263,264],"td",{},"ganbaru  ",[262,266,267],{},"ganbatta    ",[262,269,270],{},"ganbatte    ",[262,272,273],{},"ganbare    ",[262,275,276],{},"ganbarou    ",[223,278,279,282,285,288,291],{},[262,280,281],{},"dictionary\u002Fplain form",[262,283,284],{},"plain past",[262,286,287],{},"te-form    ",[262,289,290],{},"command form",[262,292,293],{},"plain volitional",[223,295,296,299,302,305,308],{},[262,297,298],{},"(to) do one’s best",[262,300,301],{},"did one’s best",[262,303,304],{},"do your best (please)",[262,306,307],{},"do your best!",[262,309,310],{},"let’s do our best",[10,312,313],{},"You can make these verb forms more polite by adding a ~ます sound at the end:",[217,315,316,351],{},[220,317,318],{},[223,319,320,327,334,341,345],{},[226,321,322,323,326],{},"がんばります ",[14,324],{"src":325,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ります.mp3","     ",[226,328,329,330,333],{},"がんばりました ",[14,331],{"src":332,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張りました.mp3","      ",[226,335,336,337,340],{},"がんばってください ",[14,338],{"src":339,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ってください.mp3","       ",[226,342,344],{"align":343},"center","         -           ",[226,346,347,348,333],{},"がんばりましょう ",[14,349],{"src":350,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張りましょう.mp3",[257,352,353,370,387],{},[223,354,355,358,361,364,367],{},[262,356,357],{},"ganbarimasu      ",[262,359,360],{},"ganbarimashita    ",[262,362,363],{},"ganbattekudasai          ",[262,365,366],{"align":343}," -                    ",[262,368,369],{},"ganbarimashou        ",[223,371,372,375,378,381,384],{},[262,373,374],{},"polite present  ",[262,376,377],{},"polite past        ",[262,379,380],{},"polite request      ",[262,382,383],{"align":343},"-                   ",[262,385,386],{},"polite volitional    ",[223,388,389,392,395,398,401],{},[262,390,391],{},"(I) do my best  ",[262,393,394],{},"(I) did my best    ",[262,396,397],{},"please do your best      ",[262,399,400],{"align":343},"-                  ",[262,402,403],{},"let's do our best    ",[10,405,406],{},"There are two important things to notice here:",[130,408,409,416],{},[133,410,411,412,415],{},"The ",[20,413,414],{},"meaning"," of words in the second table doesn't really change—they just come off as sounding more polite (which you can't quite feel in text)",[133,417,418],{},"There isn't a polite version of がんばれ, so that column is blank",[35,420],{},[75,422,424],{"id":423},"_1-がんばる-ganbaru-dictionary-and-present-plain-tense","1. がんばる Ganbaru → dictionary and present plain tense",[10,426,427],{},"This is perhaps the most flexible of Japanese's verb forms (so if it seems overwhelming, hang in there! The rest will be easier).",[10,429,430,431,433],{},"On its own, ganbaru ",[14,432],{"src":26,":type":17}," can mean a few different things:",[188,435,436,443,449],{},[133,437,438,442],{},[439,440,441],"strong",{},"To persevere"," → the plain present tense form happens to look the same as the dictionary form in Japanese",[133,444,445,448],{},[439,446,447],{},"I persevere"," → which means that this same verb form can also be interpreted in the present tense",[133,450,451,454],{},[439,452,453],{},"I will persevere"," → like many other languages, Japanese does not have a separate verb form to indicate future tense (English is the odd one out, here!)",[10,456,457],{},"And we can see that in these examples:",[459,460,462],"h3",{"id":461},"meaning-1-dictionary-form","Meaning 1: Dictionary form ",[10,464,465],{},"This is what you'll see when you look がんばる up in the dictionary. In Japanese, the dictionary form also appears in combination with many other grammar points:",[188,467,468],{},[133,469,470,471,18,474,476],{},"だからがんばることにしました。",[14,472],{"src":473,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-だからがんばることにしました。.mp3",[46,475],{}," That's why I decided to do my best.",[10,478,479],{},"Here, \"ことにしました\" is a fixed phrase that means \"to decide to do something\", and it attaches directly to the dictionary form of verbs.",[459,481,483],{"id":482},"meaning-2-plain-present-tense","Meaning 2: Plain present tense",[10,485,486,487,490],{},"There aren't actually as many examples of this as you might think! The present moment is very brief, so you're rarely talking about literally ",[20,488,489],{},"right now",". As such, when you see がんばる, it'll more often be referring to the future tense.",[10,492,493],{},"When it means the present tense, though, it'll often be in the form of a question:",[188,495,496],{},[133,497,498,499,18,502,504],{},"なぜ、そんなにがんばるんですか。",[14,500],{"src":501,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-なぜ、そんなにがんばるんですか。.mp3",[46,503],{}," Why do you try so hard?",[459,506,508],{"id":507},"meaning-3-future-tense","Meaning 3: Future tense",[10,510,511],{},"Lastly, here's an example of an exchange that sees がんばる translated into the future tense:",[188,513,514,525],{},[133,515,516,517,18,520,18,522],{},"Friend: やれると思う？ ",[14,518],{"src":519,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-やれると思う？.mp3",[46,521],{},[20,523,524],{},"Think you can do it?",[133,526,527,528,18,531,18,533],{},"You: わからない。でも、がんばる。",[14,529],{"src":530,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-わからない。でも、がんばる。.mp3",[46,532],{},[20,534,535],{},"I don't know, but I’ll do my best.",[10,537,538,539,542,543,546],{},"Keep in mind, however, that this is the ",[20,540,541],{},"plain"," form and not ",[20,544,545],{},"polite"," form. In other words, this dialogue is a casual exchange amongst friends... but if your Japanese boss asked you this, oh boy! That’s what you’ll need the polite form for.",[75,548,550],{"id":549},"_2-がんばります-ganbarimasu-present-polite-tense","2. がんばります Ganbarimasu → present polite tense",[10,552,553,554,556],{},"Ganbaru can refer to both the present and future tense, and so can ganbarimasu ",[14,555],{"src":325,":type":17}," . The only difference is that ganbarimasu has the polite ~masu ending, which replaces the る ending.",[10,558,559],{},"Generally speaking, the ~masu ending is used when you are addressing strangers or superiors. Superiors will likely use the plain form in response to you, because you're younger than them or in a social stratosphere below them, but this is not considered rude at all. In Japanese, the language you use with someone reflects your social standing in relation to them.",[38,561,562,565,567],{},[41,563,564],{"bold":43,"underline":43},"\nCultural note\n",[46,566],{},[41,568,569],{},"\nEven if someone drops ~masu in their replies to you, this isn't necessarily an invitation for you to do the same. It’s best to stick to the polite form until you’re given permission otherwise!\n",[10,571,572],{},"So, if we look at that same exchange from above, it would become:",[188,574,575,584],{},[133,576,577,578,18,580,18,582],{},"Boss: やれると思う？ ",[14,579],{"src":519,":type":17},[46,581],{},[20,583,524],{},[133,585,586,587,18,590,592,593],{},"Subordinate: わかりません。しかし、がんばります。",[14,588],{"src":589,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-わかりません。しかし、がんばります。.mp3",[46,591],{}," ",[20,594,535],{},[10,596,597,598,601,602,605,606,608],{},"(Note: In a real office setting, you might actually use ",[20,599,600],{},"honorific"," or ",[20,603,604],{},"humble"," language, which are steps above ",[20,607,545],{}," language. For now, though, just focus on the general idea! Plain form with friends and family, polite form with everyone else.)",[75,610,612],{"id":611},"_3-がんばった-ganbatta-がんばりました-ganbarimashita-past-tenses","3. がんばった Ganbatta (& がんばりました Ganbarimashita) → past tenses",[10,614,615,616,619],{},"This is the past tense, so it means you did work hard at some point. Just like in English, if you're going out of your way to say that you ",[20,617,618],{},"did"," your best, you'll often be doing so in a lamentable fashion—you struggled really hard for something but came up dry. For example, maybe you failed an exam after a night of cramming.",[188,621,622],{},[133,623,624,625,18,628,18,630],{},"せっかくがんばったのに、結果が出なかった。",[14,626],{"src":627,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-せっかくがんばったのに、結果が出なかった。.mp3",[46,629],{},[20,631,632],{},"Even after I worked so hard, I didn’t get the result I wanted.",[10,634,635],{},"＊ せっかくがんばったのに can also be used on its own to mean a general cry of “And I worked so hard too!”",[10,637,638],{},"In a more positive vein, you'll also see the past tense form used in this common phrase:",[188,640,641],{},[133,642,643,644,18,647,18,649,652,653,652,656],{},"よくがんばったね。",[14,645],{"src":646,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-よくがんばったね。.mp3",[46,648],{},[20,650,651],{},"You did a great job."," \u002F ",[20,654,655],{},"You really worked hard.",[20,657,658],{},"Great job.",[10,660,661],{},"It’s a warm bit of encouragement, and you can use it regardless of whether someone succeeds in an endeavor or not. Here's an example sentence that's more clearly commiserating \u002F an expression of sympathy.",[188,663,664,675],{},[133,665,666,667,18,670,18,672],{},"Friend: せっかくがんばったのに。",[14,668],{"src":669,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-せっかくがんばったのに。.mp3",[46,671],{},[20,673,674],{},"I tried so hard!",[133,676,677,678,18,681,18,683],{},"You: うん、よくがんばったね。本当に残念だね… ",[14,679],{"src":680,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-うん、よくがんばったね。本当に残念だね….mp3",[46,682],{},[20,684,685],{},"Yeah, you really gave it your all. It’s really unfortunate…",[38,687,688,691,693,695],{},[41,689,690],{"bold":43,"underline":43},"\nA quick grammar note\n",[46,692],{},[41,694],{},"\n For the sake of brevity, we won't do a whole 'nother section on plain vs polite speech. You get the idea. Just know that, if you have a feeling that you're in a situation where the plain form won't fly, you can simply chop off the ~った of がんばった and affix ~ました in its place to make the polite past tense. よくがんばった becomes よくがんばりました, and so on.\n",[75,697,699],{"id":698},"_4-がんばって-ganbatte-がんばってください-ganbatte-kudasai-commands","4. がんばって Ganbatte (& がんばってください Ganbatte kudasai) → commands",[10,701,702,703,706],{},"Perhaps the form you’re most familiar with. This is the ~て (te) form—otherwise known as the Swiss army knife of Japanese conjugations. ~て can be thought of as a link that lets you make use of more complex\u002Fcompound verb forms. There are a ",[20,704,705],{},"lot"," of structures that build off of the ~て form, but we'll just focus on one here:",[10,708,709,710,712],{},"Japanese has a dedicated command form, which we'll discuss next... but the ~て form can also function as a kind of soft command. Like the parallel drawn between English’s “Hang in there!” or “Good luck!”, when you say がんばって ",[14,711],{"src":16,":type":17}," , you’re telling someone to do something—but with a tone of friendliness (hopefully).",[100,714],{"src":715,"width":716,"height":717,"alt":718},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-youtube-browser-nichijou.jpeg",1914,1216,"A screnshot from the anime Lucky Star, in which one character is encouraging another.",[10,720,721],{},"While がんばって is a soft command, it's still a direct command. You can make it more polite by tacking ~ください (please) onto the end of it. This means please.",[188,723,724],{},[133,725,726,727,18,730,18,732],{},"がんばってください。",[14,728],{"src":729,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばってください。.mp3",[46,731],{},[20,733,734],{},"Please do your best.",[10,736,737],{},"Earlier, we spoke about the risk of glossing over nuance when relying on English translations. Just like English’s “Good luck”, when used in the wrong context, がんばって can offend instead of encourage.",[10,739,740],{},"If someone’s faced with an insurmountable stack of work to get through by sunrise and you throw them a \"がんばって！\", you may just drive the stake in deeper rather than encouraging them. Again, think of how sarcastic a “Good luck” might sound in the same context.",[10,742,743],{},"Hence, it’s important to immerse yourself in authentic media to learn these crucial bits of nuance.",[75,745,747],{"id":746},"_5-がんばれ-ganbare-stronger-command","5. がんばれ Ganbare → stronger command",[10,749,750,751,753],{},"We have positioned がんばれ ",[14,752],{"src":249,":type":17}," (ganbare) next to がんばって because their meaning is quite similar. This is a command form, just like がんばって, but it’s stronger and more intense than ganbatte.",[10,755,756],{},"If ganbatte is “Go for it!”, ganbare might be more like “Fight!!!”",[100,758],{"src":759,"width":760,"height":761,"alt":762},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-youtube-browser-jjk.jpeg",1894,1200,"A scene from Jujutsu Kaisen in which one character is urging another to keep trying.",[41,764,765],{},[20,766,767],{},"This bit of nuance is unfortunately lost in the English translation of this episode of Jujutsu Kaisen",[46,769],{},[10,771,772,773,776,777,779],{},"For this reason, you’re more likely to hear ",[20,774,775],{},"ganbare"," shouted during sports matches—a place where competition gets heated. It is also why some people are convinced that ",[20,778,53],{}," has roots in 我を張る (ga o haru, “to insist on one’s own ideas”)―winning a competitive match is all about forcing your way to victory through strategy and will.",[10,781,782,783,786,787,789],{},"As this command is very strong, stick with ",[20,784,785],{},"ganbatte"," for now. After you've spent more time interacting with Japanese, you'll develop a feel for when it's appropriate to bring out the heavier-hitting ",[20,788,775],{},".",[75,791,793],{"id":792},"_6-がんばろう-ganbarou-がんばりましょう-ganbarimashou-volitional-form","6. がんばろう Ganbarou (& がんばりましょう Ganbarimashou) → volitional form",[10,795,796,797,802],{},"Finally! We're at our last two forms; the volitional forms of ganbaru. \"",[56,798,801],{"href":799,"rel":800},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FVolition_(linguistics)",[151],"Volitional","\" is a fancy linguistic word that refers to intention or invitation. That's clear as mud—I know—but it'll make more sense when we look at a few examples.",[459,804,806],{"id":805},"usage-1-using-the-volitional-form-to-communicate-strong-intent","Usage 1: Using the volitional form to communicate strong intent",[10,808,809,810,812],{},"First, let’s look at がんばろう ",[14,811],{"src":255,":type":17},"  (ganbarou) used to show intention. Consider the following sentence.",[188,814,815],{},[133,816,817,818,18,821,18,823],{},"期待に応えられるように、がんばろう。 ",[14,819],{"src":820,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-期待にこたえられるように、がんばろう。.mp3",[46,822],{},[20,824,825],{},"I'll work hard to meet everyone's expectations.",[10,827,828],{},"You could say がんばる in place of がんばろう here (and in many places), but using the volitional form conveys a stronger intent—it's like you're making a promise and committing yourself to do something.",[459,830,832],{"id":831},"usage-2-using-the-volitional-form-to-make-invitations","Usage 2: Using the volitional form to make invitations",[10,834,835],{},"Rather than just communicating your own intentions, the volitional form can also be used to invite people to take action with you. In this case, it's nuance is pretty close to \"let's...\" in English:",[188,837,838],{},[133,839,840,841,18,844,18,846],{},"さぁ、今日も一日がんばろう。",[14,842],{"src":843,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-さぁ、今日も一日がんばろう。.mp3",[46,845],{},[20,847,848],{},"Alright, let's give it our all today, too!",[10,850,851,852,854],{},"To make this polite, once again, simply swap がんばろう for がんばりましょう ",[14,853],{"src":350,":type":17}," .",[38,856,857,859,861],{},[41,858,564],{"bold":43,"underline":43},[46,860],{},[41,862,863,864,869,870,873,874,877],{},"\n Japan is a \n",[56,865,868],{"href":866,"rel":867},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHigh-context_and_low-context_cultures",[151],"high-context culture","\n, which means that Japanese communication is often more indirect or ambiguous than in the West. You can see that demonstrated here: whether がんばろう means \n",[20,871,872],{},"I will","\n or \n",[20,875,876],{},"let's...","\n depends pretty much entirely on context. Again, this will be difficult at first, but you'll get better at picking up on these nuances as you spend more time engaging with (and enjoying!) Japanese materials. \n",[35,879],{},[75,881,883],{"id":882},"fired-up-heres-how-you-can-learn-japanese-without-needing-to-ganbaru-too-hard","Fired up? Here’s how you can learn Japanese without needing to ganbaru too hard",[10,885,886],{},"Learning phrases that you can start using from Day 1 can be exciting! So if you’re hungry to learn more, Migaku offers a selection of engaging courses that are tailored to your needs.",[10,888,889],{},"If you’re starting from scratch, Migaku Fundamentals has got you covered. This course will take you through the very basics of Japanese, and by the end of it you’ll be able to read hiragana and katakana.",[100,891],{"src":892,"width":893,"height":894,"alt":895},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-japanese-fundamentals-new.jpeg",1730,1202,"A few screenshots from Migaku's Japanese Fundamentals course.",[10,897,898],{},"If you budget your study to an hour per day (~23 flashcards), you can get through this course for free before the 10-day free trial runs out!",[10,900,901],{},"Once you learn the hiragana and katakana, or if you aren't quite ready to dive into native content just yet, the Migaku Japanese Academy will teach you 1700 of the most common words in Japanese and 400 grammar points that will enable you to understand and produce real sentences.",[100,903],{"src":904,"width":905,"height":906,"alt":907},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-japanese-academy-ganbaru.jpeg",1724,1206,"A screenshot from Migaku's Japanese Academy, showing the lesson in which we teach ganbaru.",[10,909,910],{},"The course has been specifically designed so that:",[188,912,913,916,919,922],{},[133,914,915],{},"Each \"next\" flashcard only contains one new word",[133,917,918],{},"You'll be periodically nudged to review what you learn",[133,920,921],{},"If you learn 10 cards per day, you'll finish in about 6 months",[133,923,924],{},"By the time you finish, you'll recognize 80% of the words in Netflix dialogues",[10,926,927,928,931],{},"You can start the Academy course even if you don't know any kanji: The Migaku Kanji course, the Academy's sister course, will teach you each kanji used in the Academy ",[20,929,930],{},"juuuust"," before it appears in your Academy lessons.",[100,933],{"src":934,"width":935,"height":936,"alt":937},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-course-plug.jpeg",1802,1258,"...",[939,940],"prose-button",{"href":58,"text":941},"Learn Japanese with Migaku",[35,943],{},[75,945,947],{"id":946},"challenge-pick-がんばっている-out-of-the-following-video","[Challenge] Pick がんばっている out of the following video",[10,949,950,951,954],{},"がんばっている ",[14,952],{"src":953,":type":17},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばっている.mp3",", one of the forms we skipped, is used for the present-progressive tense—to say that you're in the process of doing your best, literally right now.",[10,956,957],{},"This Japanese fisherman says it twice.",[10,959,960],{},"Can you pick out where?",[962,963],"custom-iframe",{"src":964},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FKxGRhd_iWuE?si=tXDTR8Ge00HZLh-7",[75,966,968],{"id":967},"to-the-bitter-end","To the bitter end",[10,970,971],{},"Whether we use ganbatte, ganbare, or ganbatte kudasai, we are offering a cheer of encouragement: a “Hang in there!” or “Never say die!” style pick-me-up.",[10,973,974],{},"With all of these forms of ganbaru introduced in this article, Japanese may feel like a hopeless mountain of grammar and conjugations. But the trick is to not get hung up on the finer details―just focus on the journey and you’ll make your way through.",[10,976,977],{},"In fact, the golden role of language learning is:",[38,979,980],{},[10,981,982,983],{},"If you consume Japanese media you enjoy, and you understand the sentences and messages within that media, you will make progress. ",[20,984,985],{},"Period.",[10,987,988],{},"... and now I'm going to say it:",[10,990,991],{},"がんばって！",{"title":43,"searchDepth":993,"depth":993,"links":994},2,[995,996,997,998,1004,1005,1006,1007,1008,1012,1013,1014],{"id":77,"depth":993,"text":78},{"id":161,"depth":993,"text":162},{"id":182,"depth":993,"text":183},{"id":423,"depth":993,"text":424,"children":999},[1000,1002,1003],{"id":461,"depth":1001,"text":462},3,{"id":482,"depth":1001,"text":483},{"id":507,"depth":1001,"text":508},{"id":549,"depth":993,"text":550},{"id":611,"depth":993,"text":612},{"id":698,"depth":993,"text":699},{"id":746,"depth":993,"text":747},{"id":792,"depth":993,"text":793,"children":1009},[1010,1011],{"id":805,"depth":1001,"text":806},{"id":831,"depth":1001,"text":832},{"id":882,"depth":993,"text":883},{"id":946,"depth":993,"text":947},{"id":967,"depth":993,"text":968},"'Ganbatte' translates to 'good luck'... but, when you use ganbatte in Japanese culture, it's really more of a cross between 'good luck' and 'perseverance'. Here's how it works!","md",{"timestampUnix":1018,"slug":1019,"h1":1020,"image":1021,"tags":1026},1747817083788,"ganbatte-meaning","Ganbatte! All About The Little Japanese Expression That Could",{"src":1022,"width":1023,"height":1024,"alt":1025},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-ganbare-thumbnail.jpg",2800,1400,"A screenshot from an anime in which characters are cheering on their teammates!",[1027],"vocabulary",true,"\u002Farticle\u002Fjapanese\u002Fjapanese-ganbaru","---\ntitle: 'Ganbatte or Ganbare? How to use this Japanese word (like a pro)'\ndescription: \"'Ganbatte' translates to 'good luck'... but, when you use ganbatte in Japanese culture, it's really more of a cross between 'good luck' and 'perseverance'. Here's how it works!\"\ntimestampUnix: 1747817083788\nslug: 'ganbatte-meaning'\nh1: 'Ganbatte! All About The Little Japanese Expression That Could'\nimage:\n  src: '\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-ganbare-thumbnail.jpg'\n  width: 2800\n  height: 1400\n  alt: 'A screenshot from an anime in which characters are cheering on their teammates!'\ntags:\n  - vocabulary\n---\n\nThis article will look at the origins of ganbatte \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばって.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> _(\"do your best!\")_ and explain how to use the many forms of ganbaru \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばる.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> to be the best team player you can be in Japanese.\n\nMore specifically, we'll talk about:\n\n\u003Ctoc>\u003C\u002Ftoc>\n\n---\n\n> \u003CCenteredText bold underline>A quick note\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\u003CCenteredText>You'll sometimes see _ganbaru_ written in kanji as 頑張る and other times in hiragana as がんばる. We'll use hiragana in this article, to make it a bit more accessible, but if you want to [learn Japanese](\u002Flearn-japanese), you should understand both! You'll see both in real Japanese content. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr> _(If you don't know hiragana yet, skim through [this crash course](\u002Fblog\u002Fjapanese\u002Fthe-japanese-language-hiragana) really quick!)_ \u003C\u002FCenteredText>\n\n## The meaning of Ganbatte\n\nがんばって (ganbatte) comes from 頑張る (ganbaru), a verb that means to persevere and work hard; especially when times are tough. The word carries the implicit meaning of seeing something through to the end. You can kind of see this by taking a close look at the kanji it's made of:\n\n\u003CCenteredText> → _(on the off chance you don't know [what kanji are](\u002Fblog\u002Fjapanese\u002Fhow-to-learn-kanji))_ ← \u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\n\nThe first kanji 頑 carries the meaning “stubborn” or \"firm.\"\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-頑.jpeg\" width=\"1756\" height=\"1210\" alt=\"A screenshot of the 頑 lesson from Migaku's kanji course\" \u002F>\n\nThe second kanji 張 carries the meaning “stretch\" or \"spread.”\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-張.jpeg\" width=\"1736\" height=\"1210\" alt=\"A screenshot of the 張 lesson from Migaku's kanji course \" \u002F>\n\n> _\u003CCenteredText>Both of these flashcards come from Migaku's Kanji Course. \u003C\u002FCenteredText>_\n\nAnd it is at this point where the history behind ganbaru gets interesting.\n\nYou see, etymologically speaking, there are two separate theories as to how we ended up with the modern ganbaru.\n\n1. The first argues that 我を張る (ga o haru) is considered the origin of the modern がんばる (ganbaru), which means “to insist on one’s own ideas.”\n\n2. The second argues that ganbaru evolved from 眼張る (ganharu) which meant to “keep watch; observe closely” (literally stretch one’s eyes).\n\nBoth of these theories are rich with evidence dating back to the Edo period (1603–1867), but the main takeaway is the common denominator of 張る (haru). By noticing this kanji 張 which means to stretch or strain, you can see how this colors the article in a way that's a bit more nuanced than a simple \"good luck\"—there's also some \"sticking to it\" and \"never giving up\" mixed in there.\n\nWhat's more, there are different \"forms\" of ganbaru (in linguistics, this is called _[conjugation](https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FGrammatical_conjugation)_). They all have the same basic underlying meaning, but their nuance is different. For example, a shout of がんばって (ganbatte) might be translated as “Hang in there!”, whereas the past tense がんばった (ganbatta) would likely be more straightforward: \"I did my best.\"\n\nBasically, a single translation can't tell us the whole story, here.\n\n---\n\n## Japanese “Ganbatte” vs. English “Good Luck”\n\nIf がんばって (ganbatte) means good luck, why do we need an entire article about it?\n\nWell, it's because things aren't quite that easy.\n\nWhile every language can express every idea, and we can translate from one language to another just fine, there's always something lost in translation—some words have different nuances, and some ideas would be expressed differently (if they're expressed at all). These are, after all, entirely different cultures with different ways of communicating and seeing the world.\n\n> With this in mind, when relying on one-to-one translations, you risk not only the erasure of cultural depth―thereby robbing yourself of knowledge―but you also risk missing important nuances that could get in the way of you communicating what you originally intended.\n\nNow, let’s go through the usage and nuances of each form of ganbaru you’re likely to encounter.\n\n## Verbs and verb forms in the Japanese language\n\nOn the off-chance that you're new to the Japanese language, you should know that Japanese has three main types of verbs:\n\n- る (ru) verbs → these end in ~る\n\n- う (u) verbs → these end in in an ~う sound (-ru, -su, -tsu, etc... if a word ends in ~る, it technically ends in ~u, too! )\n\n- Irregular verbs\n\nGanbaru ends with -る, but is considered an う verb, not a -る verb. _(This is tricky and annoying, but you'll get a feel for it as you spend more time with japanese.)_ A verb's type affects how it is conjugated.\n\nHere are two tables with the most common forms of ganbaru—not _all_ of them, but the ones you’re likely to hear and use when cheering someone on.\n\nFirst, here's the plain forms of the verb, which you can use with people your age, family members, and people that you know well:\n\n| がんばる \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばる.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>    | がんばった \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張った.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>     | がんばって \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばって.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>    | がんばれ \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばれ.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>     | がんばろう \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ろう.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>    |\n| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| ganbaru                                                                                | ganbatta                                                                                  | ganbatte                                                                                   | ganbare                                                                                 | ganbarou                                                                                 |\n| dictionary\u002Fplain form                                                                  | plain past                                                                                | te-form                                                                                    | command form                                                                            | plain volitional                                                                         |\n| (to) do one’s best                                                                     | did one’s best                                                                            | do your best (please)                                                                      | do your best!                                                                           | let’s do our best                                                                        |\n\nYou can make these verb forms more polite by adding a ~ます sound at the end:\n\n| がんばります \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ります.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>      | がんばりました \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張りました.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>       | がんばってください \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ってください.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>        |          -             | がんばりましょう \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張りましょう.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>       |\n| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :--------------------: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| ganbarimasu                                                                                    | ganbarimashita                                                                                      | ganbattekudasai                                                                                              |  -                     | ganbarimashou                                                                                           |\n| polite present                                                                                 | polite past                                                                                         | polite request                                                                                               |  -                     | polite volitional                                                                                       |\n| (I) do my best                                                                                 | (I) did my best                                                                                     | please do your best                                                                                          |  -                     | let's do our best                                                                                       |\n\nThere are two important things to notice here:\n\n1. The _meaning_ of words in the second table doesn't really change—they just come off as sounding more polite (which you can't quite feel in text)\n\n2. There isn't a polite version of がんばれ, so that column is blank\n\n---\n\n## 1. がんばる Ganbaru → dictionary and present plain tense\n\nThis is perhaps the most flexible of Japanese's verb forms (so if it seems overwhelming, hang in there! The rest will be easier).\n\nOn its own, ganbaru \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばる.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> can mean a few different things:\n\n- **To persevere** → the plain present tense form happens to look the same as the dictionary form in Japanese\n\n- **I persevere** → which means that this same verb form can also be interpreted in the present tense\n\n- **I will persevere** → like many other languages, Japanese does not have a separate verb form to indicate future tense (English is the odd one out, here!)\n\nAnd we can see that in these examples:\n\n### Meaning 1: Dictionary form \n\nThis is what you'll see when you look がんばる up in the dictionary. In Japanese, the dictionary form also appears in combination with many other grammar points:\n\n- だからがんばることにしました。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-だからがんばることにしました。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> That's why I decided to do my best.\n\nHere, \"ことにしました\" is a fixed phrase that means \"to decide to do something\", and it attaches directly to the dictionary form of verbs.\n\n### Meaning 2: Plain present tense\n\nThere aren't actually as many examples of this as you might think! The present moment is very brief, so you're rarely talking about literally _right now_. As such, when you see がんばる, it'll more often be referring to the future tense.\n\nWhen it means the present tense, though, it'll often be in the form of a question:\n\n- なぜ、そんなにがんばるんですか。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-なぜ、そんなにがんばるんですか。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> Why do you try so hard?\n\n### Meaning 3: Future tense\n\nLastly, here's an example of an exchange that sees がんばる translated into the future tense:\n\n- Friend: やれると思う？ \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-やれると思う？.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Think you can do it?_\n\n- You: わからない。でも、がんばる。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-わからない。でも、がんばる。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _I don't know, but I’ll do my best._\n\nKeep in mind, however, that this is the _plain_ form and not _polite_ form. In other words, this dialogue is a casual exchange amongst friends... but if your Japanese boss asked you this, oh boy! That’s what you’ll need the polite form for.\n\n## 2. がんばります Ganbarimasu → present polite tense\n\nGanbaru can refer to both the present and future tense, and so can ganbarimasu \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ります.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> . The only difference is that ganbarimasu has the polite ~masu ending, which replaces the る ending.\n\nGenerally speaking, the ~masu ending is used when you are addressing strangers or superiors. Superiors will likely use the plain form in response to you, because you're younger than them or in a social stratosphere below them, but this is not considered rude at all. In Japanese, the language you use with someone reflects your social standing in relation to them.\n\n> \u003CCenteredText bold underline>Cultural note\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\u003CCenteredText>Even if someone drops ~masu in their replies to you, this isn't necessarily an invitation for you to do the same. It’s best to stick to the polite form until you’re given permission otherwise!\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\n\nSo, if we look at that same exchange from above, it would become:\n\n- Boss: やれると思う？ \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-やれると思う？.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Think you can do it?_\n\n- Subordinate: わかりません。しかし、がんばります。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-わかりません。しかし、がんばります。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> *I don't know, but I’ll do my best.*\n\n(Note: In a real office setting, you might actually use _honorific_ or _humble_ language, which are steps above _polite_ language. For now, though, just focus on the general idea! Plain form with friends and family, polite form with everyone else.)\n\n## 3. がんばった Ganbatta (& がんばりました Ganbarimashita) → past tenses\n\nThis is the past tense, so it means you did work hard at some point. Just like in English, if you're going out of your way to say that you _did_ your best, you'll often be doing so in a lamentable fashion—you struggled really hard for something but came up dry. For example, maybe you failed an exam after a night of cramming.\n\n- せっかくがんばったのに、結果が出なかった。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-せっかくがんばったのに、結果が出なかった。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Even after I worked so hard, I didn’t get the result I wanted._\n\n＊ せっかくがんばったのに can also be used on its own to mean a general cry of “And I worked so hard too!”\n\nIn a more positive vein, you'll also see the past tense form used in this common phrase:\n\n- よくがんばったね。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-よくがんばったね。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _You did a great job._ \u002F _You really worked hard._ \u002F _Great job._\n\nIt’s a warm bit of encouragement, and you can use it regardless of whether someone succeeds in an endeavor or not. Here's an example sentence that's more clearly commiserating \u002F an expression of sympathy.\n\n- Friend: せっかくがんばったのに。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-せっかくがんばったのに。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _I tried so hard!_\n\n- You: うん、よくがんばったね。本当に残念だね… \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-うん、よくがんばったね。本当に残念だね….mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Yeah, you really gave it your all. It’s really unfortunate…_\n\n> \u003CCenteredText bold underline>A quick grammar note\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\u003CCenteredText>\u003C\u002FCenteredText> For the sake of brevity, we won't do a whole 'nother section on plain vs polite speech. You get the idea. Just know that, if you have a feeling that you're in a situation where the plain form won't fly, you can simply chop off the ~った of がんばった and affix ~ました in its place to make the polite past tense. よくがんばった becomes よくがんばりました, and so on.\n\n## 4. がんばって Ganbatte (& がんばってください Ganbatte kudasai) → commands\n\nPerhaps the form you’re most familiar with. This is the ~て (te) form—otherwise known as the Swiss army knife of Japanese conjugations. ~て can be thought of as a link that lets you make use of more complex\u002Fcompound verb forms. There are a _lot_ of structures that build off of the ~て form, but we'll just focus on one here:\n\nJapanese has a dedicated command form, which we'll discuss next... but the ~て form can also function as a kind of soft command. Like the parallel drawn between English’s “Hang in there!” or “Good luck!”, when you say がんばって \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばって.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> , you’re telling someone to do something—but with a tone of friendliness (hopefully).\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-youtube-browser-nichijou.jpeg\" width=\"1914\" height=\"1216\" alt=\"A screnshot from the anime Lucky Star, in which one character is encouraging another.\" \u002F>\n\nWhile がんばって is a soft command, it's still a direct command. You can make it more polite by tacking ~ください (please) onto the end of it. This means please.\n\n- がんばってください。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばってください。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Please do your best._\n\nEarlier, we spoke about the risk of glossing over nuance when relying on English translations. Just like English’s “Good luck”, when used in the wrong context, がんばって can offend instead of encourage.\n\nIf someone’s faced with an insurmountable stack of work to get through by sunrise and you throw them a \"がんばって！\", you may just drive the stake in deeper rather than encouraging them. Again, think of how sarcastic a “Good luck” might sound in the same context.\n\nHence, it’s important to immerse yourself in authentic media to learn these crucial bits of nuance.\n\n## 5. がんばれ Ganbare → stronger command\n\nWe have positioned がんばれ \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばれ.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> (ganbare) next to がんばって because their meaning is quite similar. This is a command form, just like がんばって, but it’s stronger and more intense than ganbatte.\n\nIf ganbatte is “Go for it!”, ganbare might be more like “Fight!!!”\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-youtube-browser-jjk.jpeg\" width=\"1894\" height=\"1200\" alt=\"A scene from Jujutsu Kaisen in which one character is urging another to keep trying.\" \u002F>\n\n\u003CCenteredText>_This bit of nuance is unfortunately lost in the English translation of this episode of Jujutsu Kaisen_\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\n\nFor this reason, you’re more likely to hear _ganbare_ shouted during sports matches—a place where competition gets heated. It is also why some people are convinced that _ganbaru_ has roots in 我を張る (ga o haru, “to insist on one’s own ideas”)―winning a competitive match is all about forcing your way to victory through strategy and will.\n\nAs this command is very strong, stick with _ganbatte_ for now. After you've spent more time interacting with Japanese, you'll develop a feel for when it's appropriate to bring out the heavier-hitting _ganbare_.\n\n## 6. がんばろう Ganbarou (& がんばりましょう Ganbarimashou) → volitional form\n\nFinally! We're at our last two forms; the volitional forms of ganbaru. \"[Volitional](\u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FVolition_(linguistics)>)\" is a fancy linguistic word that refers to intention or invitation. That's clear as mud—I know—but it'll make more sense when we look at a few examples.\n\n### Usage 1: Using the volitional form to communicate strong intent\n\nFirst, let’s look at がんばろう \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張ろう.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>  (ganbarou) used to show intention. Consider the following sentence.\n\n- 期待に応えられるように、がんばろう。 \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-期待にこたえられるように、がんばろう。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _I'll work hard to meet everyone's expectations._\n\nYou could say がんばる in place of がんばろう here (and in many places), but using the volitional form conveys a stronger intent—it's like you're making a promise and committing yourself to do something.\n\n### Usage 2: Using the volitional form to make invitations\n\nRather than just communicating your own intentions, the volitional form can also be used to invite people to take action with you. In this case, it's nuance is pretty close to \"let's...\" in English:\n\n- さぁ、今日も一日がんばろう。\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-さぁ、今日も一日がんばろう。.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> \u003Cbr> _Alright, let's give it our all today, too!_\n\nTo make this polite, once again, simply swap がんばろう for がんばりましょう \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-頑張りましょう.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> .\n\n> \u003CCenteredText bold underline>Cultural note\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\u003Cbr>\u003CCenteredText> Japan is a [high-context culture](https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHigh-context_and_low-context_cultures), which means that Japanese communication is often more indirect or ambiguous than in the West. You can see that demonstrated here: whether がんばろう means _I will_ or _let's..._ depends pretty much entirely on context. Again, this will be difficult at first, but you'll get better at picking up on these nuances as you spend more time engaging with (and enjoying!) Japanese materials. \u003C\u002FCenteredText>\n\n---\n\n## Fired up? Here’s how you can learn Japanese without needing to ganbaru too hard\n\nLearning phrases that you can start using from Day 1 can be exciting! So if you’re hungry to learn more, Migaku offers a selection of engaging courses that are tailored to your needs.\n\nIf you’re starting from scratch, Migaku Fundamentals has got you covered. This course will take you through the very basics of Japanese, and by the end of it you’ll be able to read hiragana and katakana.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-japanese-fundamentals-new.jpeg\" width=\"1730\" height=\"1202\" alt=\"A few screenshots from Migaku's Japanese Fundamentals course.\" \u002F>\n\nIf you budget your study to an hour per day (~23 flashcards), you can get through this course for free before the 10-day free trial runs out!\n\nOnce you learn the hiragana and katakana, or if you aren't quite ready to dive into native content just yet, the Migaku Japanese Academy will teach you 1700 of the most common words in Japanese and 400 grammar points that will enable you to understand and produce real sentences.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-japanese-academy-ganbaru.jpeg\" width=\"1724\" height=\"1206\" alt=\"A screenshot from Migaku's Japanese Academy, showing the lesson in which we teach ganbaru.\" \u002F>\n\nThe course has been specifically designed so that:\n\n- Each \"next\" flashcard only contains one new word\n- You'll be periodically nudged to review what you learn\n- If you learn 10 cards per day, you'll finish in about 6 months\n- By the time you finish, you'll recognize 80% of the words in Netflix dialogues\n\nYou can start the Academy course even if you don't know any kanji: The Migaku Kanji course, the Academy's sister course, will teach you each kanji used in the Academy _juuuust_ before it appears in your Academy lessons.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-kanji-course-plug.jpeg\" width=\"1802\" height=\"1258\" alt=\"...\" \u002F>\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-japanese\" text=\"Learn Japanese with Migaku\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n\n---\n\n## \\[Challenge] Pick がんばっている out of the following video\n\nがんばっている \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fja-がんばっている.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>, one of the forms we skipped, is used for the present-progressive tense—to say that you're in the process of doing your best, literally right now.\n\nThis Japanese fisherman says it twice.\n\nCan you pick out where?\n\n\u003Ccustom-iframe src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FKxGRhd_iWuE?si=tXDTR8Ge00HZLh-7\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-iframe>\n\n## To the bitter end\n\nWhether we use ganbatte, ganbare, or ganbatte kudasai, we are offering a cheer of encouragement: a “Hang in there!” or “Never say die!” style pick-me-up.\n\nWith all of these forms of ganbaru introduced in this article, Japanese may feel like a hopeless mountain of grammar and conjugations. But the trick is to not get hung up on the finer details―just focus on the journey and you’ll make your way through.\n\nIn fact, the golden role of language learning is:\n\n> If you consume Japanese media you enjoy, and you understand the sentences and messages within that media, you will make progress. _Period._\n\n... and now I'm going to say it:\n\nがんばって！\n",{"title":5,"description":1015},"article\u002Fjapanese\u002Fjapanese-ganbaru","z_h58hdMVbiN1zoWetTf3E-hNlVmvTrmguHLRSyz7jY","May 21, 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