Japanese symbol for “persist”
頑張る
がんばる
Romaji: ganbaru
to persevere; to persist; to keep at it; to hang on
In Japanese, persist is 頑張る, read がんばる (ganbaru).
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
- v5r, vi to persevere; to persist; to keep at it; to hang on; to hold out; to do one's best
- v5r, vi to insist that; to stick to (one's opinion)
- v5r, vi to remain in a place; to stick to one's post; to refuse to budge
Kanji and stroke order
counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread
on: チョウ
kun: は.る、-は.り、-ば.り
kun: は.る、-は.り、-ば.り
11 strokes · JLPT 2
Other Japanese words for “persist”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 長引く | ながびく nagabiku | to be prolonged; to drag on; to take a long time |
| 粘る | ねばる nebaru | to persevere; to persist; to stick to |
| 踏ん張る | ふんばる funbaru | to hold out; to persist; to make an effort |
| 食い下がる | くいさがる kuisagaru | to hound; to keep after (someone); to refuse to back down |
| 突っ張る | つっぱる tsupparu | to be insistent; to persist (in one's opinion); to stick to one's guns |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頑固 | がんこ ganko | stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded |
| 頑張り | がんばり ganbari | tenacity; endurance |
| 頑丈 | がんじょう ganjou | solid; firm; stout |
| 頑強 | がんきょう gankyou | stubborn; dogged; persistent |
| 頑張れ | がんばれ ganbare | hang in there; go for it; keep at it |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 緊張 | きんちょう kinchou | tension; strain; nervousness |
| 拡張 | かくちょう kakuchou | expansion; extension; enlargement |
See also: Chinese symbol for “persist”.
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.
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