Refers to the fighting spirit or motivation of a group, especially in military, sports, or workplace contexts.
The team's morale is dropping due to the losing streak.
The commander gave a speech to boost the soldiers' morale.
The victory raised the team's morale.
The coach spoke to the players to boost their morale.
Long hours of overtime caused employee morale to decline.
Even in tough conditions, the unit kept up its morale.
This team has high morale.
気力 is a person's mental or physical energy and drive, whereas 士気 specifically describes the shared morale of a team, army, or organization.
意気 refers to one's spirit or enthusiasm and is often used for an individual's mood, while 士気 is used for the collective morale of a group.
士気 specifically means morale within a group, often military or organizational, whereas 気勢 can describe the spirited energy of an individual or a crowd more broadly.
士気 refers to the collective morale of a group (like a team or army), while モチベーション is usually about an individual's personal drive.
モラル is a loanword that in Japanese almost always means 'morals/ethics,' not 'morale,' so learners should not use it where 士気 (group morale) is meant.
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and formal contexts.
From Chinese 士氣 (shìqì), literally 'soldier spirit'. The kanji 士 means 'warrior' or 'gentleman', and 気 means 'spirit' or 'energy'.