Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
気合 (きあい, kiai) Japanese meaning: fighting spirit | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
を
入い
れる
。
I psych myself up before the match.
He lacks fighting spirit.
Usage patterns 気き 合あい で 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something through sheer force of spirit/willpower
I got through the tough practice on sheer willpower.
〈 人ひと〉 〉 が 気合きあい を 発はっ する for someone to let out a kiai shout while performing a technique
The athlete let out a kiai shout as he executed the move.
気き 合あい の 入はい った 〈 物もの 〉 something done with real spirit and energy
The audience was amazed by the spirited, all-out performance.
気き 合あい を 出だ す to muster up one's fighting spirit
It's almost over, so let's dig deep and push through.
Expressions 気き 合あい が 入はい る get fired up; get motivated; get into it 気き 合あい を 入い れる fire oneself up; get psyched; motivate oneself · fire someone up; rouse someone Related words· 11 根性 emphasizes stubborn guts or grit built up over time, while 気合 is a burst of focused spirit summoned in the moment.
掛け声 is any rallying shout or chant used to spur action or coordinate a group, while 気合 (in this sense) is specifically the shout that focuses one's own energy.
やる気 is general willingness or motivation to do something, whereas 気合 suggests a more intense, often momentary surge of fighting spirit.
気力 refers to underlying mental/physical energy or vitality in general, while 気合 is the sharp, deliberate spirit mustered for a specific effort.
Show 7 more 気合 is a broader term for spirit, energy, or focused shout, while 闘志 specifically means the will to fight or compete.
気合 is the common, everyday word for fighting spirit or a shout used to focus energy, while 気迫 implies a deeper, more sustained inner intensity.
気合い is the burst of focused spirit or energy one musters for a task, while 気負い specifically describes being tensely overeager, sometimes self-defeatingly so.
気合い emphasizes fighting spirit or mental focus one musters up, while ハッスル describes the visible energetic activity itself.
Written forms 気き 合あい Usage 60%
Standard kanji spelling; common in news and everyday use.
気き 合あ い Usage 40%
Variant spelling with okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Etymology Compound of 気 (spirit, energy) and 合 (join, fit). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has long been used to refer to focused mental energy and the accompanying shout.
気合 is a burst of focused energy or vigor for a moment or action, whereas 心意気 describes a more lasting spirited attitude.
気合い emphasizes a burst of focused spirit or vigor for a specific moment, while 意気込み refers more broadly to one's overall enthusiasm going into something.
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.
