Japanese symbol for “strive”
努める
つとめる
Romaji: tsutomeru
to endeavor (to do); to endeavour; to try hard; to work hard
In Japanese, strive is 努める, read つとめる (tsutomeru).
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
- v1, vi to endeavor (to do); to endeavour; to try hard; to work hard; to strive; to make an effort
Written forms: 努める、勉める、力める. Readings: つとめる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “strive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 励む | はげむ hagemu | to work hard; to try hard; to strive |
| 足掻く | あがく agaku | to struggle (to escape an adverse situation); to strive; to make every effort |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 努力 | どりょく doryoku | effort; exertion; endeavour |
| 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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “strive”.
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.