noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
encouragement; cheering on
Refers to the act of giving emotional support or motivation, often through words or presence. Can be used as a noun or with の to modify another noun.
友達の励ましのおかげで、最後まで頑張れた。
Thanks to my friend's encouragement, I was able to keep going until the end.
彼の一言が大きな励ましになった。
His few words were a great encouragement.
励ます is the transitive verb meaning 'to encourage someone', while 励まし is the noun form referring to the encouragement itself.
応援 is more active support like cheering at a sports event or backing a candidate, while 励まし is softer emotional encouragement.
Noun form of the verb 励ます (to encourage), derived from the classical verb 励む (to strive). The kanji 励 carries the meaning of 'encourage' or 'strive'.