努つとめる

つ

と

め

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

努める · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	努つとめる	努つとめない
Polite	努つとめます	努つとめません
Past polite	努つとめました	努つとめませんでした
Past	努つとめた	努つとめなかった
Te-form	努つとめて	努つとめないで
Desire	努つとめたい	努つとめたくない
Potential	努つとめられるalso 努つとめれる	努つとめられないalso 努つとめれない
Passive	努つとめられる	努つとめられない
Causative	努つとめさせる	努つとめさせない
Causative passive	努つとめさせられる	努つとめさせられない
Volitional	努つとめよう
Polite volitional	努つとめましょう
Imperative	努つとめろ	努つとめるな
Conditional	努つとめれば	努つとめなければ
Tara conditional	努つとめたら	努つとめなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

endeavor; strive; make an effort

Used for putting conscious effort into achieving something, often with a goal or duty in mind. Common in both spoken and written Japanese.

彼かれは試し験けんに合ごう格かくするように努つとめた。
He endeavored to pass the exam.
私わたしたちは環かん境きょう問もん題だいの解かい決けつに努つとめています。
We are striving to solve environmental problems.

See all 191 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈動どう詞し〉ように努つとめるto make an effort to do something
毎まい日にち運うん動どうするように努つとめています。
I make an effort to exercise every day.
〈事こと〉の改かい善ぜんに努つとめるto strive to improve something
会かい社しゃはサービスの改かい善ぜんに努つとめている。
The company is striving to improve its service.
〈事こと〉の解かい決けつに努つとめるto strive to resolve an issue
政せい府ふは問もん題だいの解かい決けつに努つとめた。
The government strove to resolve the problem.

Kanji

努toil, diligent, as much as possible
勉exertion, endeavour, encourage
力power, strength, strong

Related words

努ど力りょくN3
努力 is a noun/する-verb meaning 'effort' in a general or sustained sense, while 努める is a verb focused on the act of striving toward a specific aim.
頑がん張ばるN5
頑張る is a casual, everyday verb for doing one's best or hanging in there, while 努める is slightly more formal and implies deliberate, conscious effort.
尽じん力りょく
尽力する is a formal verb for devoting all one's strength to a cause, while 努める is more general and can describe smaller, everyday efforts.
心こころ掛がけるN1
努める stresses active striving toward a goal, while 心がける stresses keeping a principle or habit in mind.

Opposites

怠おこたるN2
怠る means to neglect or be negligent about something, the opposite of the conscious effort expressed by 努める.

Don't confuse with

務つとめるN5
努める means to strive or make an effort, while 勤める (same reading) means to work for or be employed at a company.

Word family

努つとめてN1
as much as possible; diligently; to the best of one's ability

Written forms

努つとめるUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling for 'to endeavor, to strive'.
つとめるUsage4%
勉つとめるUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
力つとめるUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

The kanji 努 carries the meaning 'to exert, to strive'. The verb つとめる is a native Japanese word conventionally written with this kanji. The historical derivation of the reading is uncertain.