Translation guide
Ways to express persistence, perseverance, and not giving up in Japanese, from everyday encouragement to formal descriptions of tenacity.
Expressing the idea of persisting in an action or effort without quitting, often in a positive or encouraging sense.
Literally 'not give up'. A very common and natural way to express persistence in everyday speech.
He persisted until the very end.
Please keep going without giving up.
An adjective meaning 'tenacious' or 'persistent'. Describes a person's character or attitude.
She won the contract through persistent negotiation.
Patience and perseverance. Often used in contexts requiring steady, long-term effort.
Learning a language requires persistence.
Endurance or forbearance. Emphasizes bearing hardship patiently.
This job requires persistence.
Describing something that persists over time, such as a problem, tradition, or condition.
Continuation or sustainability. Used for both positive and negative situations.
This problem has persisted for many years.
Continued existence, often used for organizations, traditions, or systems.
The verb 'to continue'. A simple and common way to say something persists.
Expressing persistence in a negative sense, such as stubbornness or annoying insistence.
An adjective meaning 'persistent' in an annoying or bothersome way. Often used for people or behavior.
His questions were persistent (and annoying).
A more formal or literary term for tenacious, often with a negative connotation of being relentless.
根気 (konki) is about steady, patient effort toward a goal, like studying. 忍耐 (nintai) is more about enduring hardship or suffering without complaint. Use 根気 for active persistence, 忍耐 for passive endurance.
It takes persistence to practice every day.
The persistence to endure pain.
The English word 'persistence' covers many nuances. Direct translations like 固執 (koshu, 'adherence') or 永続 (eizoku, 'permanence') are often too stiff or have different connotations. Choose the expression based on whether you mean 'not giving up', 'lasting a long time', or 'being annoyingly insistent'.
His persistence paid off.
Persistence is the key to success.
その伝統は今も存続している。
That tradition persists even now.
The rain persisted for a week.
執拗な追跡
persistent pursuit