Ganbaru

Ganbaru (頑張る, lit. stand firm), also romanized as gambaru, is a ubiquitous Japanese word which roughly means to slog on tenaciously through tough times.[1]

The word ganbaru is often translated to mean "doing one’s best", but in practice, it means doing more than one's best.[2] The word emphasizes "working with perseverance"[3] or "toughing it out".[4]

Ganbaru means "to commit oneself fully to a task and to bring that task to an end".[5] It can be translated to mean persistence, tenacity, doggedness, and hard work. The term has a unique importance in Japanese culture.[6]

The New York Times said of Shoichi Yokoi, the Japanese holdout who surrendered in Guam in January 1972, that in Japan "even those embarrassed by his constant references to the Emperor felt a measure of admiration at his determination and ganbaru spirit".[7] After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the slogan "Gambaro Kobe" was used to encourage the people of the disaster region as they worked to rebuild their city and their lives.[8] After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, gambaru was one of the most commonly heard expressions.[9]

Analysis

Gambaru focuses attention on the importance of finishing a task and never stopping until a goal is achieved. The continuing effort to overcome obstacles (even if not successful) is an important concept in Japan.

Unlike the related, but passive gaman, ganbaru is an active process.[10]

Although there are many near synonyms in Japanese, there are few antonyms.[11]

See also
  • Go Rin No Sho, The Book of 5 Rings
  • Jiayou, a Chinese term of similar meaning
  • Paiting, a Korean term of similar meaning
  • Sisu, a Finnish word denoting tenacity and a broader concept
  • Stoicism

Notes
  1. Kristoff, Nicholas. "Shoichi Yokoi, 82, Is Dead; Japan Soldier Hid 27 Years," New York Times (US). September 26, 1997.
  2. Frühstück, Sabine. (1998). The Culture of Japan as seen through its Leisure, p. 104., p. 104, at Google Books
  3. Zeng, Kangmin. (1998). Dragon gate: Competitive Examinations and Their Consequences, p. 224., p. 224, at Google Books
  4. Kristoff, Nicholas D. "A Japanese Generation Haunted by Its Past,: New York Times (US). January 22, 1997
  5. Albach, Horst. (1994). Culture and Technical Innovation: a Cross-Cultural Analysis and Policy Recommendations, p. 388., p. 388, at Google Books
  6. Allison, Anne. (1994). Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club, p. 119., p. 119, at Google Books
  7. Kristof, Nicholas D (September 26, 1997), "Shoichi Yokoi, 82, Is Dead; Japan Soldier Hid 27 Years", The New York Times.
  8. Davies, Roger J. et al. (2001). The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture, p. 84., p. 84, at Google Books
  9. "U.S. donations not rushing to Japan," 11Alive News (US). March 17, 2011; excerpt, "Devin Stewart, a senior director at the Japan Society in New York City, said, "Suffering and persevering is a type of virtue in Japan ... the ability to persevere and remain calm under difficult situations. Among the most commonly heard expressions there, are gaman, to persevere or tough it out; gambaru, to do your best, to be strong; and shoganai, it cannot be helped, which expresses a sense of fatalism ...."
  10. Haghirian, Parissa. "Mastering The Basics," Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine American Chamber of Commerce in Japan Archived 2011-03-30 at the Wayback Machine (ACCJ), 15 February 2011; excerpt, "Where ganbaru is an active process and requires people to do something to achieve their goals, gaman is passive and focuses more on enduring and not complaining."
  11. Allison, p. 120., p. 120, at Google Books

References
  • Albach, Horst. (1994). Culture and Technical Innovation: a Cross-Cultural Analysis and Policy Recommendations. Berlin: de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110139471; OCLC 231577854
  • Allison, Anne. (1994). Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226014852; ISBN 9780226014876; OCLC 243801089
  • Matsuoka, R., Smith, I., & Uchimura, M. (2011). Discourse analysis of encouragement in healthcare manga. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 49-66.
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