The word gambaru in Japanese it means to do your best and hold on to the bitter end. This means that Gambaru students study hard to pass exams, Gambaru athletes practice hard to win games, and Gambaru company workers work hard to increase sales. It also means to work hard or patiently, to insist on getting your way and occupying a place and never leaving, as in relation to working at a job or place of employment. Gambaru also has its roots in the following proverb: “The monk who does not work must not eat.”
There is an imperative form of “gambaru, which is Gambare or Gambette. The term imperative connotes high achievement, motivation, and an orientation to group harmony. The term is also used among members to encourage others in group activity.
The Japanese use the term gambare quite often and for various reasons. They tend to use the term at least once a day when saying goodbye and also at the end of a letter. The Japanese also use this expression to encourage each other with the implication “Please keep working hard until you achieve your goal.”
The term is also used in many situations as a form of expression. The Japanese may use the expression in the early stages of a project. For example:
a) After the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, the motto gambar kobe it was used to encourage the people of Kobe to rebuild their city and rebuild their lives.
b) The Japanese also use the expression among group members to encourage each other in cooperative activities. For example, during track days at school, children can be heard yelling “gambare” or “gambatte” to cheer their friends on in the race.
c) The Japanese also use the expression as spectators to cheer on their team. For example, at the 1998 World Cup soccer match held in France, Japanese spectators cheered the slogan Japanese shrimp! During the championship, the motto was used in TV shows and commercials every day.
The literal meaning of gambaru is “to stick to something tenaciously”. It is a very popular term used when encouraging someone to undertake a very difficult task. The additional meanings are: Hold on, don’t give up, do your best, and Give it your all! The term also means to work hard and patiently. Also, it encourages enthusiasm and hard work from others.
Gamburu also has some additional meaning, some of which could be considered to have negative connotations. Based on the denotation form of the word, it also means “to insist on following one’s own ways” and “to occupy a place and never leave it”. Also, the word is derived from ga-o-haru, which means “to be stubborn.” This expression originally had a negative connotation of asserting oneself against the decisions and norms of the group.
One may wonder if other languages have the equivalent of gambari. According to Amanuma (1987, pp. 51-53), gambari, which is derived from gambaru, does not have an exact equivalent in non-Japanese languages. Furthermore, Amanuma states, “Although both Chinese and Korean have the characters that make up gambaru (gambari is derived from gambaru), they do not have expressions that possess the same nuances. This suggests that gambaru is an expression unique to Japan, and expresses certain qualities of the Japanese character.
There are several proverbs that can show a difference between Japanese culture and American culture when it comes to Gambaru’s virtues. A proverb based on Japanese culture says: “The monk who does not work should not eat.” This speaks to the fact that one must work and that through work one can live. The Japanese did not take play or leisure into account in this proverb, unlike America in the following proverb.
Alternatively, an American proverb says: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” This implies that one does not have to work but rest and play. It puts play and work in the same category and on the same level that equates to virtue. The account of the game in this proverb gives the Japanese an uneasy feeling regarding Gambaru’s virtues in American terms.
© Joseph S. Spence, Sr., 8/16/09
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Submitted by “Epulaeryu Master”.