Japanese symbol for “strenuous”
懸命
けんめい
Romaji: kenmei
eager; earnest; strenuous; fervent
In Japanese, strenuous is 懸命, read けんめい (kenmei).
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
- adj-na, n eager; earnest; strenuous; fervent; assiduous; with utmost effort
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “strenuous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過激 | かげき kageki | strenuous (exercise, work, etc.); excessive; (physically) demanding |
| 骨の折れる | ほねのおれる honenooreru | laborious; arduous; strenuous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懸念 | けねん kenen | worry; fear; anxiety |
| 一生懸命 | いっしょうけんめい isshoukenmei | very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can |
| 懸賞 | けんしょう kenshou | offering a prize; prize competition; prize |
| 懸案 | けんあん ken'an | pending question; unresolved problem |
| 懸垂 | けんすい kensui | pull-up (exercise); chin-up; chinning |
| 生命 | せいめい seimei | life; existence |
| 革命 | かくめい kakumei | revolution |
| 命令 | めいれい meirei | order; command; decree |
See also: Chinese symbol for “strenuous”.
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.