Translation guide
The English phrase 'keep up' has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common uses for learners: maintaining pace, continuing an action, staying informed, and preventing someone from sleeping.
keep up with someone/something (pace)
keep up the good work
To not fall behind in pace, progress, or standards.
Literally 'go attached', this is the most common way to say 'keep up with' someone or something in terms of speed or progress.
He walked so fast I couldn't keep up.
Emphasizes not falling behind. Often used when the pace is challenging.
I'm managing to keep up (without falling behind).
Means 'catch up' rather than 'keep up'. Use when you have fallen behind and need to reach the same level.
This is 'catch up', not 'keep up'. Only use when you are behind.
To persist in an action or maintain a habit.
The standard verb for 'continue'. Attach to the masu-stem of another verb to mean 'keep doing'.
To remain updated on news, trends, or developments.
To cause someone to stay awake, often unintentionally.
Causative-negative of 寝る (to sleep). Means 'not let someone sleep'.
It's hard to keep up with the class.
I made up for lost time and caught up with everyone.
Keep up the good work.
I keep up my practice every day.
Verb stem + 続ける explicitly means 'keep doing' the action. More emphatic than plain 続ける.
It keeps on raining.
Specifically for 'keep up the effort' or 'keep trying hard'.
I'll keep up the effort from now on too.
We need to keep up with industry trends.
Same as 'keep up with' pace, but used metaphorically for information or trends.
It's hard to keep up with advances in technology.
Idiom meaning 'put up an antenna', i.e., stay alert and gather information. Casual.
I always keep my antenna up and catch new information.
The baby cried all night and kept me up.
Literally 'keep (someone) awake/up'. Used when you intentionally or unintentionally cause someone to stay awake.
I talked with my friend until late and kept them up.
More literal 'cause to be unable to sleep'. A bit wordy but clear.
Worries kept him up at night.
I catch up with him.
Directly translating 'keep' and 'up' as 保つ (たもつ) and 上 (うえ) makes no sense in Japanese. Always use the appropriate phrase for the meaning.