Translation guide
The overall mood, confidence, and enthusiasm of a group or individual, especially in challenging situations.
morale (group)
morale (personal motivation)
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).
The team's morale is high.
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.
Spirit, vigor, or morale. Often appears in compounds like 意気込み (enthusiasm) or 意気消沈 (depression of spirits).
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'.
Lately, I have no motivation.
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.
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.
He has high morale. (sounds like a soldier)
He's motivated. (natural for everyday situations)
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).
社員のやる気を引き出す。
Boost employee morale.
Their morale is sky-high.
He's full of enthusiasm.
気力が尽きた。
I've run out of energy/morale.
元気を出して。
Cheer up. / Keep your spirits up.
落ち込んでいる友達を励ました。
I cheered up my depressed friend.
To psych oneself up or fire up a group. Often used in sports or intense situations.
We fired ourselves up before the match.