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How to say 'Hard' or 'Earnestly' in Japanese | 一生懸命

Wondering how to say 'Hard' or 'Earnestly' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Hard or Earnestly is 'Isshoukenmei', written as 一生懸命 in Japanese.'Hard' or 'Earnestly' in hiragana is いっしょうけんめい.

    Meaning

    Hard, Earnestly

    Reading

    いっしょうけんめい

    isshoukenmei

    Kanji

    One Life Suspend Command, Life

    Explanation

    The Japanese adverb '一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい)' means 'hard' or 'earnestly'. It is used to describe doing something with great effort, determination, or seriousness. This word often conveys a sense of giving one's all or putting in maximum effort. For example: I studied hard for the exam「試験のために一生懸命勉強した」(しけんのためにいっしょうけんめいべんきょうした). She worked earnestly to achieve her dream「彼女は夢を叶えるために一生懸命働いた」(かのじょはゆめをかなえるためにいっしょうけんめいはたらいた). The word can also be used to describe physical effort, such as running hard「一生懸命走った」(いっしょうけんめいはしった). Note that while 'hard' is a common translation, the nuance of '一生懸命' often includes a sense of sincerity and dedication.

    Part Of Speech

    adverb

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    9

    Frequency

    2082

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 一生懸命

This word contains 4 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    One

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Life

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Suspend

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Command, Life

Words Related to 一生懸命 Through the Kanji

These 64 Words contain the Kanji 一 as well.

  • word

    Meaning

    One

  • word

    一つ

    Meaning

    One

  • word

    一人

    Meaning

    Alone, One person

  • word

    一寸

    Meaning

    A bit

  • word

    一緒に

    Meaning

    Together

  • word

    一般

    Meaning

    General

  • word

    一番

    Meaning

    Most

  • word

    一方

    Meaning

    Side, On the other hand

  • word

    一人で

    Meaning

    Alone

  • word

    一昨年

    Meaning

    Year before last

  • word

    一昨日

    Meaning

    Day before yesterday

  • word

    一部

    Meaning

    Part

  • word

    一杯

    Meaning

    Full, A lot

  • word

    一定

    Meaning

    Fixed

  • word

    一日

    Meaning

    First

  • word

    一生

    Meaning

    Lifetime

  • word

    一言

    Meaning

    Word

  • word

    一瞬

    Meaning

    Instant

  • word

    一層

    Meaning

    More

  • word

    一旦

    Meaning

    Once

  • word

    一時

    Meaning

    Temporarily, Once

  • word

    一体

    Meaning

    Really

  • word

    一向に

    Meaning

    Not at all

  • word

    一員

    Meaning

    Member

  • word

    一度に

    Meaning

    At once

  • word

    一部分

    Meaning

    Part

  • word

    同一

    Meaning

    Same, Identical

  • word

    一段と

    Meaning

    More

  • word

    唯一

    Meaning

    Only

  • word

    一切

    Meaning

    Not at all

  • word

    一気

    Meaning

    All at once

  • word

    一種

    Meaning

    A kind

  • word

    一応

    Meaning

    Tentatively

  • word

    一般に

    Meaning

    Generally

  • word

    一人一人

    Meaning

    Each person

  • word

    一見

    Meaning

    At first glance

  • word

    一家

    Meaning

    Family

  • word

    一周

    Meaning

    Lap

  • word

    一緒

    Meaning

    Together

  • word

    一面

    Meaning

    Whole area

  • word

    一族

    Meaning

    Clan, Family

  • word

    一斉

    Meaning

    Simultaneous

  • word

    一致

    Meaning

    Match

  • word

    一行

    Meaning

    Group

  • word

    一貫

    Meaning

    Consistency

  • word

    一遍に

    Meaning

    All at once

  • word

    一々

    Meaning

    Every, Each

  • word

    一斉に

    Meaning

    Simultaneously

  • word

    一連

    Meaning

    Series

  • word

    一向

    Meaning

    Not at all

  • word

    一まず

    Meaning

    For now

  • word

    万一

    Meaning

    If

  • word

    一休み

    Meaning

    Rest

  • word

    一通り

    Meaning

    Generally, Roughly

  • word

    一口

    Meaning

    Bite, Sip

  • word

    一目

    Meaning

    Glance, First move

  • word

    一同

    Meaning

    Everyone

  • word

    第一

    Meaning

    First

  • word

    一流

    Meaning

    Top class

  • word

    一帯

    Meaning

    Area

  • word

    統一

    Meaning

    Unification

  • word

    一段

    Meaning

    Step, Level

  • word

    一覧

    Meaning

    List

  • word

    腹一杯

    Meaning

    Full

Words Related to 一生懸命 Through the Kanji

These 54 Words contain the Kanji 生 as well.

  • word

    大学生

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    高校生

    Meaning

    High school student

  • word

    先生

    Meaning

    Teacher

  • word

    生きる

    Meaning

    Live

  • word

    留学生

    Meaning

    Foreign student

  • word

    生まれる

    Meaning

    Born

  • word

    人生

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    生ずる

    Meaning

    Arise

  • word

    学生

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    生産

    Meaning

    Production

  • word

    生活

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    中学生

    Meaning

    Middle school student

  • word

    小学生

    Meaning

    Elementary student

  • word

    生徒

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    発生

    Meaning

    Occurrence

  • word

    生命

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    生む

    Meaning

    Give birth

  • word

    一生

    Meaning

    Lifetime

  • word

    生物

    Meaning

    Organism

  • word

    誕生日

    Meaning

    Birthday

  • word

    生かす

    Meaning

    Utilize

  • word

    生理

    Meaning

    Menstruation, Physiology

  • word

    生み出す

    Meaning

    Produce

  • word

    厚生

    Meaning

    Welfare

  • word

    生まれ

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    生じる

    Meaning

    Arise

  • word

    生き方

    Meaning

    Lifestyle

  • word

    生け花

    Meaning

    Flower arranging

  • word

    生年月日

    Meaning

    Birthdate

  • word

    生まれつき

    Meaning

    Innately

  • word

    生き生きと

    Meaning

    Vividly

  • word

    生涯

    Meaning

    Lifetime

  • word

    生死

    Meaning

    Life and death

  • word

    生存

    Meaning

    Survival

  • word

    生える

    Meaning

    Grow

  • word

    衛生的

    Meaning

    Sanitary

  • word

    再生

    Meaning

    Playback, Recycling

  • word

    芝生

    Meaning

    Lawn

  • word

    生き物

    Meaning

    Creature

  • word

    衛生

    Meaning

    Hygiene

  • word

    生成

    Meaning

    Generation

  • word

    長生き

    Meaning

    Long life

  • word

    生やす

    Meaning

    Grow

  • word

    Meaning

    Raw

  • word

    無生物

    Meaning

    Inanimate

  • word

    生態

    Meaning

    Ecology

  • word

    生意気

    Meaning

    Cheeky

  • word

    生き残る

    Meaning

    Survive

  • word

    新生

    Meaning

    Rebirth

  • word

    出生

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    生き生き

    Meaning

    Vividly

  • word

    誕生

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    同級生

    Meaning

    Classmate

  • word

    生臭い

    Meaning

    Fishy, Bloody

Words Related to 一生懸命 Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 懸 as well.

  • word

    懸命

    Meaning

    Earnest

Words Related to 一生懸命 Through the Kanji

These 11 Words contain the Kanji 命 as well.

  • word

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    生命

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    命令

    Meaning

    Order

  • word

    革命

    Meaning

    Revolution

  • word

    命ずる

    Meaning

    Command

  • word

    懸命

    Meaning

    Earnest

  • word

    運命

    Meaning

    Fate

  • word

    寿命

    Meaning

    Lifespan

  • word

    任命

    Meaning

    Appointment

  • word

    使命

    Meaning

    Mission

  • word

    命じる

    Meaning

    Order

Learn the Word 一生懸命

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Isshoukenmei' (一生懸命) mean?

'Isshoukenmei' means 'Hard' or 'Earnestly' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.