Refers to a person's inner drive, morale, or emotional disposition. Often used in compounds like 意気込み (enthusiasm) or 意気消沈 (dejection).
Moved by his spirit, I decided to cooperate as well.
The team's morale is low.
We clicked with each other from the moment we first met.
The players showed their fighting spirit before the match.
The harsh criticism dampened his spirits.
士気 is used specifically for the collective morale of a group (like soldiers or a team), whereas 意気 can describe an individual's spirit as well.
気概 highlights a strong, unyielding backbone or mettle in the face of difficulty, while 意気 is a more neutral word for spirit or morale.
気合 conveys a burst of focused energy or fighting spirit for a specific moment, while 意気 describes a more general state of morale or disposition.
Standard modern kanji spelling.
Composed of 意 (mind, thought) and 気 (spirit, energy). The combination has been used in classical Chinese and was adopted into Japanese to express one's mental and emotional state.
low spirits; dejection; discouragement
in high spirits; full of vigor; spirited
in high spirits; exuberant; soaring morale
in high spirits; elated; exuberant
depressed; disheartened; lacking nerve
aggressiveness; combativeness; fighting spirit