Onyomi: ド · Kunyomi: つと.める · Meanings: as much as possible, diligent, toil
Kanji for as much as possible, diligent, toil
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The kanji 努 is made from the woman radical 女 on the left and the character 力 (strength) on the right. In ancient writing, 女 often symbolized humility, patience, or steady dedication, while 力 showed physical strength or effort. When combined, the image represented someone using both inner patience and outer strength to push forward. It wasn’t just brute force—it was effort made with steady determination. Over time, this mixture of gentle persistence (女) and raw effort (力) came to express the idea of “striving,” “doing one’s best,” or “working hard toward a goal.”
A blend of steady dedication (女) and strength or effort (力). Together they show the idea of pushing forward with determined effort.
Imagine someone combining calm determination (女) with strong effort (力). That mix of patience and power is 努 — to try hard and give your best.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 努 | ど | third principle of the Eight Principles of Yong, downward stroke | Noun |
| 努 | ゆめ | never, by no means | Adverb (fukushi) |
| 努力 | どりょく | effort, exertion, endeavour, endeavor, hard work, striving | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 努める | つとめる | to endeavor (to do), to endeavour, to try hard, to work hard, to strive, to make an effort, to exert oneself, to devote oneself, to be committed (to doing) | common JLPT-N2 Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 努めて | つとめて | as much as possible, as far as possible, to the best of one's ability, diligently | common JLPT-N1 Adverb (fukushi) |
| 努力家 | どりょくか | hard worker, hardworking person | Noun |
| 力む | りきむ | to strain (oneself), to bear down, to exert oneself, to try (too) hard, to draw one's body taut | common Godan verb with 'mu' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 努力の賜物 | どりょくのたまもの | fruit of one's labor, result of one's efforts | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun |
| 努力も虚しく | どりょくもむなしく | after efforts in vain | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Adverb (fukushi) |
| 努力奮励 | どりょくふんれい | making strenuous efforts, exerting oneself | Noun, Suru verb |