Ganbatte (頑張って): meaning, and how it differs from ganbare
頑張って
がんばって · ganbatte
Say ganbatte to encourage someone facing an exam or a match, or just a difficult day. It means "do your best" or "hang in there", from 頑張る, "to persevere, to try hard".
Word by word
| 頑張る | がんばる | to try hard, to persevere |
| って | って | て-form, a softened request |
Encouraging others and promising to try
頑張って is a gentle "Do your best". The imperative 頑張れ (ganbare) is more forceful: the "Go! Fight!" shouted from the stands in sports anime like Haikyu!!. Use 頑張ります (ganbarimasu) to speak for yourself: "I’ll do my best."
To encourage the whole team, 頑張ろう (ganbarou) means "Let’s do our best."
Speaking to a teacher or boss
With a teacher or boss, use the more polite 頑張ってください rather than plain 頑張って.
More examples
- 試験、頑張ってね！ shiken, ganbatte ne! — Good luck on the exam!
- 明日も頑張ろう！ ashita mo ganbarou! — Let's do our best tomorrow too!
Hear it in real scenes
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