#ganbaru

Kintsugi Wellness

I don’t know what the first word of Japanese I learned was. Probably “hai = yes” or “sakabatou = reversed-edge blade” because I’m that kind of nerd lol.

But I can say with certainty that one of the earliest words I learned was “ganbaru.” Whether it’s the cute girl giving an encouraging “ganbatte!” to her sempai, or the beleaguered protagonist forcing himself to stand back up as he declares, “Ore ha mada ganbaru!” it’s a word that is rampant in anime, manga, and actual daily conversation. I daresay it’s one of the most commonly used words in the language. 

Most of the time, “ganbaru” is defined as “doing one’s best,” and for 10 years, I thought that was what it meant.

But on Monday I kinda sorta had a panic attack and a guy from HR, who also acts as a counselor for troubled employees, came to talk with me. The conversation was entirely in Japanese, but I told him:

元のomoi-no-hokaに戻るように頑張っています。 Moto no omoi-no-hoka ni modoru you ni ganbatte imasu. I’m doing my best to get back to my old self. 

And he told me, “Y’know what? My least favorite word ever is ‘ganbaru.’ Do you want to know why?”

Of course I did.

We already know the metaphorical meaning of “ganbaru,” which is “to do one’s best,” as I stated above. But take a look at the kanji--what is the literal meaning of the word?

頑 gan

Stubborn, foolish 

張る baru (or haru, if it’s on its own)

To stretch

In other words, “ganbaru” literally means “to foolishly stretch oneself.” 

He told me, “Pretend that you’re a rubber band holding together this team. And you keep stretching yourself more and more and more to do more and help others. What’s going to happen eventually? That rubber band is going to snap, and no one wants that to happen to you.

“So don’t ganbaru. Just do what you can, when you can. That’s enough. That’s more than enough, actually.”

This was really eye-opening for me, and it actually made me feel guilty for all the times I’ve said “ganbatte!” in an effort to encourage someone, when in actuality I was asking them to push themselves beyond their bounds (whether they realized it or not). I think that exceedingly few Japanese people think of the word ganbaru’s literal meaning. 

But from now on, I’m going to make a conscious effort to stop using that word. 

Depending on the situation, I think I’ll try substituting words in the following ways:

頑張ります！　　→　一生懸命努力します。

Ganbarimasu!　   →　Isshoukenmei doryoku shimasu.

I’ll do my best!      →    I’ll do my best effort.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

頑張ってね！  →　応援してる！OR 私に何かできることある？

Ganbatte ne!   →　Ouen shiteru! OR Watashi ni nanika dekiru koto aru?

Hang in there! →    I’m supporting you! OR Is there anything I can do to help?