Proverb / Kotowaza
一生懸命
To do something with all your might or try your absolute best.
risking one's life for a whole lifetime
Quick Answer
To do something with all your might or try your absolute best.
- Literal Image
- risking one's life for a whole lifetime
- Closest Equivalent
- With all one's might.
- How to Use It
- Used to describe someone putting maximum effort into studying, working, or completing a specific task.
Meaning
This phrase describes tackling a task with extreme dedication, as if your life depends on it. It signifies putting your heart and soul into an effort and giving it everything you have. People use it to express intense focus and hard work toward a goal.
Literal Image
risking one's life for a whole lifetime
Equivalent Proverbs
With all one's might.
Focuses on the level of physical or mental energy expended.
Do one's best.
A direct translation of the intent behind the phrase.
Put one's heart and soul into...
Captures the deep emotional and personal dedication implied.
How to Use It
Used to describe someone putting maximum effort into studying, working, or completing a specific task.
Tone
Encouraging and positive, expressing dedication or praising hard work.
Examples
来週の資格試験に合格するために、テレビもスマホも断って、毎日一生懸命勉強している。
To pass next week's certification exam, I gave up watching TV and using my smartphone, and I am studying with all my might every day.
Shows the extreme dedication of cutting out distractions.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
A four-character compound with basic kanji that describes putting forth maximum effort.
一生
いっしょう / isshou
whole life, lifetime
懸命
けんめい / kenmei
risking one's life, desperation, eagerness
Usage Profile
Usage note: While the literal kanji involve risking one's life, it is simply the standard way to say 'working hard' and does not imply actual physical danger.
Misread Risk
Do not interpret this as a literal threat to someone's life; it purely means to try your absolute best.
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Origin
Originally written as 一所懸命 (isshokenmei). It stems from the medieval Kamakura period, when samurai would defend the "one piece of land" (一所) given to them by their lord with their lives. Eventually, the phrase came to mean tackling anything with extreme, life-risking dedication. Over time, the pronunciation of "issho" (one place) became confused with "isshou" (one's whole life), leading to the spelling 一生懸命, which is the spelling we see today.
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