人じん力りき

also: じんりょく

じ

ん

り

き

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

human power; human strength; human effort; human agency

Refers to physical or labor-based power exerted by people, as opposed to mechanical, animal, or supernatural force. Often used in contexts like 人力車 (rickshaw) or 人力飛行機 (human-powered aircraft).

この機き械かいは人じん力りょくで動うごかすことができます。
This machine can be operated by human power.
人じん力りょくだけではこの岩いわを動うごかせない。
We can't move this rock with human strength alone.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

人じん力りきで〈動どう詞し〉to do something by human power/effort
その重おもい荷に物もつは人じん力りきで運うんばれた。
That heavy load was carried by human power.
人じん力りきに頼たよるto rely on human power/effort
この作さ業ぎょうはまだ人じん力りきに頼たよっている部ぶ分ぶんが多おおい。
Much of this work still relies on human labor.

Kanji

人person
力power, strength, strong

Related words

労ろう力りょくN1
人力 emphasizes power that comes from human beings (as opposed to machines or animals), while 労力 focuses on the effort or labor expended to accomplish a task.

Opposites

動どう力りょくN1
人力 means power generated by human effort, whereas 動力 refers to power from mechanical or engine-driven sources.
馬ば力りき
人力 is power supplied by people, while 馬力 (horsepower) is a unit measuring the power of engines or animals, contrasting with human strength.

Don't confuse with

人じん為い
人力 refers to physical power or effort exerted by people, while 人為 refers to human action or artificiality, often implying intentional design rather than raw strength.

Word family

人じん力りき車しゃ
rickshaw; jinrikisha
人じん力りき車しゃ夫ふ
rickshaw puller; rickshaw man

Written forms

人力Usage100%
- じんりょく
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading じんりょく is more common in modern Japanese.
- じんりき
  Alternate reading; somewhat less common but still encountered, especially in older or fixed expressions.
じんりょく

Etymology

Compound of 人 (human) and 力 (power). The reading じんりょく uses the go-on reading for 力, while じんりき uses the kan-on reading. Both have been used historically, with じんりょく becoming more standard in modern Japanese.