encourage, be diligent, inspire

About this kanji

The kanji 「励」 primarily means to encourage or to inspire, conveying a sense of diligence in one's efforts. It is often used as a verb, for example, in 「励む」 (hagemu), which means to work hard, and 「励ます」 (hagimasu), which means to encourage someone. There are also noun forms, such as 「励み」 (hagemi), which refers to motivation or encouragement, and compounds like 「奨励」 (shōrei), meaning encouragement, and 「激励」 (gekirai), which carries a sense of strong encouragement. Notably, while this kanji often has a positive connotation, it's important to recognize the context in which encouragement is offered, as it can vary in tone.

Example sentences

• 彼は私を励ましてくれた。

  He encouraged me.

Meanings across languages

English

encourage, be diligent, inspire

Tiếng Việt

khuyến khích, chăm chỉ

日本語

励ます, 励行

한국어

격려하다, 부지런하다

中文

鼓励, 勤奋

id

mendorong

th

ให้กำลังใจ

es

animar

fr

encourager

de

ermutigen

pt

encorajar

Common compounds

• 奨励しょうれいencouragement, promotion, inducement
• 激励げきれいencouragement, spurring (on), cheering (on)
• 励みはげみencouragement, incentive, stimulus
• 励むはげむto work hard, to try hard, to strive
• 励ますはげますto encourage, to cheer on, to cheer (someone) up
• 励ましはげましencouragement, cheering on
• 精励せいれいdiligence, industry, assiduity
• 督励とくれいencouragement, urging