念力
Meanings
1
willpower; power of faith; power of prayer
An older or more religious-sounding use referring to the power of concentrated thought, belief, or prayer; in modern everyday Japanese, 精神力 or 信念 is often more ordinary for simple 'willpower'.
She prayed for her father's recovery with all the force of her faith.
2
The common modern sense: paranormal power used to move or affect things by mental force.
In the movie, the girl moves objects with telekinesis.
He said he could bend spoons with psychokinesis.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉に念力を送るto send mental/psychic power to someone
I sent my mental energy to a friend far away.
- 念力で〈物〉を動かすto move something using telekinesis
He showed off bending a spoon with telekinesis.
- 念力を込めるto put one's mental/spiritual force into something
I put my prayerful energy into the charm before giving it to him.
Expressions
- 思う念力岩をも通すwhere there is a will, there is a way