Japanese symbol for “effort”
努力
どりょく
Romaji: doryoku
effort; exertion; endeavour; endeavor
In Japanese, effort is 努力, read どりょく (doryoku).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs effort; exertion; endeavour; endeavor; hard work; striving
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “effort”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 取り組み | とりくみ torikumi | effort; initiative; dealing with |
| 手間 | てま tema | time; labour; labor |
| 労力 | ろうりょく rouryoku | labour; labor; effort |
| 手 | て te | trouble; care; effort |
| 気合 | きあい kiai | (fighting) spirit; motivation; effort |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 努める | つとめる tsutomeru | to endeavor (to do); to endeavour; to try hard |
| 努めて | つとめて tsutomete | as much as possible; as far as possible; to the best of one's ability |
| 努力家 | どりょくか doryokuka | hard worker; hardworking person |
| 努力賞 | どりょくしょう doryokushou | prize awarded for good effort; consolation prize |
| 奮励努力 | ふんれいどりょく funreidoryoku | making strenuous efforts; exerting oneself |
| 協力 | きょうりょく kyouryoku | cooperation; collaboration; help |
| 能力 | のうりょく nouryoku | ability; faculty |
| 魅力 | みりょく miryoku | charm; fascination; glamour |
See also: Chinese symbol for “effort”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.