Ganbaru

Ganbaru (頑張る), also romanized as , is a ubiquitous Japanese word which roughly means to slog on tenaciously through tough times.

The word is often translated as "doing one's best", but in practice, it means doing more than one's best. The word emphasizes "working with perseverance" or "toughing it out".

means "to commit oneself fully to a task and to bring that task to an end". It can be translated as persistence, tenacity, doggedness, and hard work. The term has a unique importance in Japanese culture.

The New York Times said of Shoichi Yokoi, the Japanese holdout who surrendered in Guam in January 1972, that in Japan "even those embarrassed by his constant references to the Emperor felt a measure of admiration at his determination and spirit". After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the slogan "" was used to encourage the people of the disaster region as they worked to rebuild their city and their lives. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, was one of the most commonly heard expressions.

Etymology
The modern spelling is using the 頑 character to represent an unknown original lexeme.

The sense was originally to be stubborn, to be obstinate, with negative overtones. The modern positive sense of to persist, to endure has arisen since the end of the in 1868.

There are three theories of the origin:


 * Sense shift from 眼張る (, "to keep watch on something, to stare at something", literally "keep one's eye on something")
 * Shift in reading from 我に張る (, literally "to stick to one's desires, to insist on one's point of view")
 * An unknown etymology based on the historical kana form ぐわんばる

Analysis
focuses on the importance of finishing a task and never stopping until a goal is achieved. The continuing effort to overcome obstacles (even if not successful) is an important concept in Japan.

Unlike the related, but passive, is an active process.

Although there are many near synonyms in Japanese, there are few antonyms.