also: がんばりズム
attitude that one must keep going no matter what; never-give-up mentality
A coined term blending 頑張り (effort, persistence) with the suffix イズム (-ism), describing a mindset of relentless perseverance, often with a slightly critical or ironic tone about overwork culture.
The never-give-up mentality is still deeply rooted in Japanese companies.
With just a keep-going-no-matter-what attitude, you'll eventually burn out.
Hiragana variant, also used.
Kanji spelling is possible but rare; the word is usually written in kana.
A modern coinage from 頑張り (ganbari, 'effort, persistence') + the suffix イズム (-izumu, '-ism'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely emerged in discussions of Japanese work culture.