Translation guide
The overall mood, confidence, and enthusiasm of a group or individual, especially in challenging situations.
The shared confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a team, organization, or military unit.
The standard term for morale in military, corporate, or team contexts. Often used with verbs like 上がる (rise) or 下がる (fall).
チームの士気が高い。
The team's morale is high.
敗戦で士気が下がった。
Morale dropped after the defeat.
More casual and personal than 士気. Refers to motivation or willingness to do something. Can be used for individuals or groups.
社員のやる気を引き出す。
Boost employee morale.
Spirit, vigor, or morale. Often appears in compounds like 意気込み (enthusiasm) or 意気消沈 (depression of spirits).
彼らの意気は天を衝く。
Their morale is sky-high.
An individual's inner drive, confidence, or emotional state when facing tasks or adversity.
The most common way to express personal motivation. やる気がある means 'to be motivated'; やる気がない means 'to lack motivation'.
最近、やる気が出ない。
Lately, I have no motivation.
彼はやる気満々だ。
He's full of enthusiasm.
Mental energy or willpower. Often used when talking about emotional or physical exhaustion.
General well-being, energy, or cheerfulness. Can overlap with morale in casual contexts.
Actions or words intended to raise or sustain morale.
To boost morale. A formal, standard expression.
リーダーは士気を高めるために話をした。
The leader gave a speech to boost morale.
To encourage or cheer someone up. Focuses on emotional support.
落ち込んでいる友達を励ました。
I cheered up my depressed friend.
士気 is formal and used for groups (military, companies). やる気 is casual and used for personal motivation. Using 士気 for an individual can sound overly dramatic.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all uses of 'morale'. Choose based on context: group spirit (士気), personal motivation (やる気), or emotional energy (元気).
I've run out of energy/morale.
Cheer up. / Keep your spirits up.
To psych oneself up or fire up a group. Often used in sports or intense situations.
試合前に気合を入れた。
We fired ourselves up before the match.