がんばれ日本!!
= Ganbare Nippon
= Hang in there, Japan!!
It has been 2 weeks since the earthquake hit Japan.
We all have deep pain and sorrow in our hearts worrying about the people in the most affected areas.
Under these circumstances, it is easy to feel fear, sadness, despair, and depression.
But I don’t want to make a lesson based on any of these negative emotions. Instead, I would like to focus on people’s inner power and their kind hearts.
Today I would like to make a lesson to cheer us up!
First take a look at the picture above.
「がんばれ日本！」
= Ganbare Nippon!
= Hang in there, Japan!
Note : 日本 can be read “Nihon” or “Nippon”.
But when we cheer, we tend to use “Nippon”.
Now let’s focus on the verb:
頑張る = がんばる = ganbaru = to do one’s best, to try hard
We say this to encourage someone (or even yourself!).
がんばって(下さい)。
= Ganbatte (kudasai)!
= Hang in there! / Good luck!/ Keep it up!
(with 下さい= kudasai is more polite.)
:u:
がんばってね！(casual/female speech)
= Ganbattene!
I often tell you,
Ex. 日本語がんばってね！
= Nihongo ganbatte ne!
= Good luck with your Japanese!
•がんばれ！(casual / male speech but women use it to cheer up someone)
= Ganbare!
If you encourage yourself, you say
•がんばろう！
=Ganbarou!
=We (or I) should hang in there.
When you say がんばって(下さい）！= Ganbatte (kudasai)! がんばれ！= Ganbare! it often implies the feeling of wishing “Good luck!” showing your support.
But since they also mean to try harder, someone was answering an interview about the earthquake on TV and said
被災地の人達にがんばってなんて言えない。がんばるのは僕たちだから。もっと私達に甘えて下さい。
= Hisaichi no hitotachi ni ganbatte nante ienai. Ganbaru nowa bokuara dakara. Motto watashitachi ni amaete kudasai.
= I can’t say “Hang in there” in the afflicted areas. It is we who have to work hard. Please let us do what we can.
It is so true. All the victims of Tsunami and earthquake have been がんばっている(=ganbatteiru), putting up with everything.
We, all the Japanese people are the one who have to がんばる(= ganbaru)to support them and Japan from now on.
And we hear all the encouragements from everywhere now.
★がんばろう日本
= Ganbarou Nipon!
= We should hang in there, Japan!
★一つになってこの壁を乗り越えよう。
= Hitotsu ni natte kono kabe wo norikoeyou.
= Become one and overcome this wall.
etc.
!to right! (Sorry Many of the videos are no longer available so I will just leave the quotes from the CM)
From an encouraging CM By SMAP
あなたはどんな時でも一人じゃない
= Anata wa donna toki mo hitori ja nai
= You are not alone — ever
ぼくらが、みんながついています。
= Bokura ga, Minna ga tsuite imasu
= We and everyone is with you.
互いに譲り合い助け合いながら
= Tagai ni yuzuriai tasuke ai nagara
= We give and help each other
強く強く未来を信じて
= Tsuyoku Tsuyoku mirai wo shinjite
= We strongly believe in our future
今、ひとつになる時
= Ima hitotsu ni naru toki
= It is time to be together
日本の力を信じてる
= Nihon no chikara wo shinjiteru
= We believe in the strength of Japan
日本は強い国
= Nihon wa tsuyoi kuni
= Japan is a strong country
長い道のりになるかもしれないけれども
= Nagai michinori ni naru kamo shirenai keredomo
（Note : He said しれんけど=shiren kedo)
= It may be a long journey but
みんなで頑張れば絶対に乗り越えられる
= Minna de ganbareba zettai ni norikoerareru
= We can overcome if we all try hard
そう思う
= Sou omou
= I think so
日本の力を信じてる
= Nihon no chikara wo shinjiteru
= We believe in the strength of Japan
Athletes have organized “Team Japan” to support Japan.
An AC commercial with soccer players.
小さい頃、阪神大震災を経験しました。
= Chiisai koro Hanshin daishinsai wo keiken shimashita.
= I experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake when I was little.
日本の強さは団結力です
= Nihon no tsuyosa wa danketsuryoku desu.
= The strength of Japan is its bond of solidarity (=team work).
ぼくも精一杯協力します。
= Boku mo seiippai doryoku shimasu.
= I will do my best.
ひとりじゃないみんながいる
= Hitorijanai minna ga iru.
= You are not alone. Everybody is with you.
世界中の人たちが日本を応援しています。
= Sekaijuu no hitotachi ga nihon wo ouen shite imasu.
= People around the world are supporting Japan.
みんなが笑顔になれますように
= Minna ga egao ni naremasu you ni.
= May everybody smile.
ひとりひとりができることをやりましょう
= Hitori hitori ga dekiru koto wo yarimashou.
= Let’s do what we can do individually.
日本が一つのチームなんです
= Nihon ga hitotsu no chiim nan desu.
= Japan is one team.
みんなでやれば大きな力に
= Minna de yareba ookina chikarani
= If we work together, it will be powerful.
People have been passing around a quote of a folksong singer 松山千春 (= Matsuyama Chiharu) on Twitter.
知恵があるやつは知恵を出そう
= Chie ga aru yatsu wa chie wo dasou
= The one who has knowledge, give knowledge
力があるやつは力を出そう
= Chikara ga aru yatsu wa chikara wo dasou
= The one who has power, give power,
金があるやつは金を出そう
=Kane ga aru yatsu wa kane wo dasou
= The one who has money, give money,
自分は何も出せないよ
= Jibun wa nani mo dasenai yo
というやつは元気を出せ
=to iu yatsu wa genki wo dase
= The one who says “I can’t give anything” give good energy
The 全国高校野球選手権= Zenkoku koukou yakyuu senshuken = The National High School Championship at 甲子園球場 = koushien kyuujou= Koshien Baseball Satdium has just opened.
And here is a speech of the opening ceremony.
私たちは１６年前阪神淡路大震災の年に生まれました。
= Watashitachi wa juurokunen mae Hanshin Awaji Daishinsai no toshi ni umaremashita.
= We were born 16 years ago in the year of the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake
今、東日本大震災で多くの貴い命が奪われ
= Ima Higashi nihon daishinsai de ooku no toutoi inochi ga ubaware
= Having deprived many people of their precious lives
私たちの心は悲しみでいっぱいです。
= Watashitachi no kokoro wa kanashimi de ippai desu.
= Our hearts are full of sorrow
被災地ではすべての方が一丸となり
= Hisaichi dewa subete no kataga ichigan to nari
= All the people in the devastated areas have become one and
仲間とともにがんばっておられます。
= Nakama to tomo ni ganbatte oraremasu.
= they are working hard with one another
人は仲間に支えられることで大きな困難を
= Hito wa nakama ni sasaerareru koto de ookina konnan wo
乗り越えることができると信じています。
= Norikoeru koto ga dekiru to shinjite imasu.
= With the support of friends, I believe people can overcome these formidable difficulties
私たちに今できること
= Watashitachi ni ima dekiru koto
= What we can do now is
それはこの大会を精いっぱい
= Sore wa kono taikai wo seiippai
元気を出して戦うことです
= Genki wo dashite tatakau koto desu
= to play in this tournament and do our very best
がんばろう日本
= Ganbarou nippon
= Hang in there, Japan
生かされている命に感謝し
= Ikasarete iru inochi ni kansha shi
= Being appreciative of our given lives
全身全霊で正々堂々と
= Zenshin zenrei de seisei doudou to
プレーすることを誓います。
= Purei suru koto wo chikaimasu.
= We pledge to play with all our strength and with all our hearts
We have seen on the news how resilient the Tohoku area people are, lining up for emergency food without complaining and keeping orderly and not panicking.
Those people have lost everything, but they teach us how strong people can be in the face of disaster.
Now I’d like to tell you about this graduation ceremony speech at
階上中学校
= Hashikami Chuugakkou
= Hashikami junior highschool
in 気仙沼(= kesennuma), area stricken by disaster
When it was broadcast, I am sure the speech of the 15 years old student moved all the people who saw it to tears
「防災教育といえば、わたしたちの階上中といわれるくらい、
= Bousai kyouiku to ieba, watashitachi no Hashikami chuu to iwareru kurai
= When it comes to disaster prevention, there was no school like Hashikami Junior High School.
防災には力を入れてきました。
= Bousai ni wa chikara wo irete kimashita.
= Our school has been working on disaster prevention.
それでも、自然の力は大きく、災害の前に、わたしたちは無力で、
= Soredemo shizen no chikarawa ookiku saigai no mae ni watashitachi wa muryokude
= However, the power of Mother nature is awesome and we were powerless in the face of this disaster
大切なものが容赦なく奪われていきました。
= Taisetsu na mono gayousha naku ubawarete kimashita.
= It took many important things without mercy
悔しくて、辛くて、たまりません。」
= Kuyashikute tsurakute tamarimasen.
= It is mortifying and painful
「それでも、私たちは天を恨まず、
= Soredemo watashitachi wa ten wo uramazu
助け合って生きていこうと思います。
= Tasukeatte ikkite ikou to omoimasu.
= Even so, we would like to live without holding a grudge (against) nature (of God)
Note : 天 = ten refers to Heaven, sky or God
それが私たちの使命だからです。」
= Sorega watashitachi no shimei dakara desu.
= Because that is our mission. (destiny)
***********************
I would like to now tell you about a message from a 99 years old poet, 柴田トヨ = Shibata Toyo. She is the most well known female poet in Japan right now.
She started to write poetry when she was 92 years old. Ever since she posted her heartwarming message in the newspaper, she has became very popular. Her words penetrate our heart like a raindrops in the desert.
Her first book, くじけないで= kujikenaide = “Don’t be too frustrated” (or Don’t lose heart) has become a best seller.
Note : くじける = kujikeru means to give way, to lose heart
くじけないで = kujikenaide is a negative form and it means,
“Don’t be too frustrated” ( “Don’t lose your heart.”) “Hold up one’s head!”
While がんばって (= ganbatte) is strong encouragement like “Cheer up!””Hang in there!” , くじけないで (= kujikenaide) is used to address people who are about to collapse and it sounds gentle while at the same time healing people’s wounded hearts.
「くじけないで」
= Kujikenaide
= Don’t be too frustrated / Don’t lose heart.
ねえ、不幸だなんて 溜め息をつかないで
= Nee fukou da nante tameiki wo tsukanai de
= Say, please don’t sigh thinking you are unhappy
陽射しやそよ風はえこひいきしない
= Hizashi ya soyokaze wa ekohiiki shinai
= The sunlight and breeze don’t favor (→You can get sunlight and breeze equally/They are fair)
Note : えこひいきする = ekohiiki suru = to treat people unfairly
夢は平等に見られるのよ
= Yume wa byoudou ni mirareru noyo.
= You all can dream equally
私 辛いことがあったけれど
= Watashi tsurai koto ga atta kedo
= I have had hardships but
生きていてよかった
= Ikite ite yokatta
= I am happy that I have had lived
あなたもくじけずに
= Anata mo kujikezuni
= Don’t lose heart
And here’s her message towards people in the afflicted areas.
被災者の皆様に
= Hisaisha no minasama ni
= To people who have suffered in the disaster
Note : 被災者 = hisaisha = victims
=あぁ なんということでしょう
= Aa nanto iu kotodeshou.
= Oh dear…
Note ： We say なんということだ。= Natou iu kotoda. →(more polite) なんということでしょう = Natou iukoto deshou
when we are surprised.
テレビを見ながら 唯（ただ） 手をあわすばかりです
= Terebi wo minagara tada te wo awasu bakari desu.
= I can’t do anything but watch TV and pray
Note : 手をあわす= te wo awasu = to put both hands together = to pray for something
皆様の心の中は
= Minasama no kokoro no naka wa
= In your heart,
今も余震がきて
= Ima mo yoshin ga kite
= aftershocks still follow and
傷痕（きずあと）がさらに深くなっていると思います
= Kizuato ga sarani fukaku natte iruto omoimasu.
= the mark of wounds has become even deeper I believe.
Note : 傷痕 or 傷跡 = kizuato = a mark of wound, scar
その傷痕に薬を塗ってあげたい
= Sono kizuato ni kusuri wo nutte agetai
= I would like to apply medicine to that scar
人間誰しもの気持ちです
= Ningen dareshimo no kimochi desu.
= This is how every human would feel
私もできることはないだろうか？ 考えます
= Watashi mo dekiru koto wa naidarouka? Kangaemasu.
= Is there anything I can do? I wonder
もうすぐ百歳になる私
= Mousugu hyakusai ni naru watashi
= I will be 100 years old very soon
天国に行く日も近いでしょう
= Tengoku ni iku hi mo chikaideshou.
= The day when I go to Heaven is also very close.
その時は 日射（ひざ）しとなり
= Sono toki wa hizashi to nari
= When the time comes, I will be the sunlight and
そよ風になって
= Soyokaze ni natte
= become the breeze and
皆様を応援します
= Minasama wo ouen shimasu.
= I will support (cheer) you
これから 辛い日々が続くでしょうが
= Korekara tsurai hibi ga tsuzuki deshou ga
= The hard days will continue from now but
朝はかならず やってきます
= Asa wa kanarazu yatte kimasu.
= the morning comes for sure
くじけないで！
= Kujikenai de!
= Don’t get discouraged.
*******
* 応援歌 = ouenka = cheering songs collections!
Music with encouraging lyrics cheer us up! Many of us are craving for songs to cheer us up. I will link to some of the encouraging songs that have been supporting many Japanese people through these hardships.
!CHECKHEART! The theme song of あんぱんマン= Anpanman.
Because of its encouraging lyrics, it has become quite popular in Japan now.
It reminds us of courageous 自衛隊=Jieitai = Japanese Self Defense Army, HyperRescues, firemen, workers of Tokyo Electric Power Company whose lives are endangered right now.
I never expected the day when I would cry to the Anpanman theme would come!
* 私にできること by KOKIA
= Watashi ni dekiru koto by KOKIA
Actually KOKIA made this song after the Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake hit in 2004.
* 上を向いて歩こう by 坂本九
“Ue wo miuite arukou” by Kyu Sakamoto
Well, this is a super famous song known internationally as “Sukiyaki”.
* 上を向いて歩こうよ 涙がこぼれない様に…
= Ue wo muite arukouyo. Namida ga koborenai you ni…
= Let’s walk looking up in order to not let our tears fall down.
(Again, many of the videos are gone. Please buy the music if you are interested in.)
* 君を忘れない by 松山千春
= “Kimi wo Wasurenai” by Matsuyama Chiharu
= “I will not forget about you” By Chiharu Matsuyama
* 負けないで by Zard
Makenai de by Zard
!onpu! 負けないでもう少し最後まで走り抜けて
= Makenai de moushikoshi saigo made hashiri nukete
= Don’t give up. You’re almost there. Just a little bit further.
* Tomorrow by 岡本真夜
Tomorrow by Maya Okamoto
!onpu! 涙の数だけ強くなろうよ…..
= Namida no kazu dake tsuyoku narou yo…
= Let’s be as strong as the drops of tears we’ve shed!…
明日は来るよ、君の為に
= Ashita wa kuru yo, kimi no tameni
= Tomorrow will come, for you!
* 愛は勝つ by KAN
= Ai wa katsu by KAN
= Love will win by KAN
どんなに困難でくじけそうでも
= Donnani konnan de kujikesou demo
= Even though how hard your situation is and you feel like giving up
信じることを決してやめないで
= Shinjiru kotowo kesshite yamenaide
= Never stop believing!
* ＹＥＬＬ～エール～by コブクロ
Yell by KOBUKURO
boucingheart! 勇気１００％ by Hey Say Jump
Yuuki Hyakupaasento By Hey Say Jump
勇気= yuuki = courage
!heart! Jupiter by 平原綾香
= Jupiter by Hirahara Ayaka
マギー先生より = Maggie sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
日本は復興に向けて長い道のりを歩き始めました。
=Nihon wa fukkou ni mukete nagai michinori wo aruki hajimemashita.
=Japan has started the long walk towards reconstruction.
皆に笑顔が戻ります様に。
= Mina ni egao ga modori masu you ni.
=May everybody smile again.
そして海外から支えてくれている皆さん、改めてありがとう！
= Soshite Kaigai kara sasasete kureteiru minasan, aratamete arigatou!
= And thank you again for all your support from all over the world.
* Prayers from Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, for Japan
English version : Check here!
33 Comments
Hello Maggie-sensei,
How are you? Not much a question this time, but rather to be sure of something:
「頑張ってはいるんだが」
Is the particle は used to emphasize 頑張って in 頑張っている? (1)
Or is it an expression 頑張ってはいる like 頑張って入る? (2)
I think it’s more (1) but I wanted to be sure. Does that mean we can add は whenever we want if we want to emphasize a particular word?
Here is the sentence in its context:
[A] 分かってくれるよね？
[B] ええっと……
[B] それが……完璧に理解するのは難しいんだ……
[B] 頑張ってはいるんだが
Thank you Sensei!
Hello Gaspatcher
元気？
First this (て）いる is a progressive form and it indicates what someone has been or is doing.
work hard/try hard 頑張る → (have been/to be) working hard/trying hard 頑張っている
You add は between Vて and いる to emphasize the contrast. Vて+は+いる
So that は actually emphasizes “頑張っている”
A) 頑張っているんだが （= 頑張っているのだが・頑張っているのだけれども) + contrasting outcome/contradictory outcome
→B ) (add は） 頑張ってはいるんだが （= 頑張ってはいるのだが/頑張ってはいるのだけれども）+ contrasting outcome/contradictory outcome
B) shows the contrast between the fact 頑張っている and outcome more.
Another example:
Ex. がんばらなくてはいけないとわかっているけれどもできない = I know I have to work hard but I can’t.
→がんばらなくてはいけないとわかってはいるけれどもできない
Ex. A: 来年、日本に行きますか？ = Are you going to Japan next year?
B: 考えてはいるのですが.. = Yeah, I have been thinking about it (but..)
Thank you Maggie.
おかげさまで!
I think your comment is cut in half haha.
But yeah, I had this intuition it was a は for emphasizing!
Vて+は+いる: I’ve never seen this structure before (I think). So you can put a は between the てverb and いる, good to know!
Thank you Sensei!
Hi Gaspatcher.
ごめんなさい。You are right. My previous comment was cut in half.
Yes, Vて+は+いる is a very common expression especially when you make an excuse like my example sentence that I added in my previous message. 😆
Thank you, your explanations are always clear, Sensei!
So in general, we see this structure because of a contrasting outcome
Vて+は+いる+んだが+……
+は +んだけれども+……
+は +のですが+……
+は +のですけれども+……
+は +けれども+……
Yes, Vては+ いるのですが(formal) /いるのですけれども(polite) / いるのですが/いるけれども(casual) /いるんだけれども (casual)
Or sometimes you finish the sentence Vてはいます. In this case you can tell there is some kind of problem.
Ex. A: 日本語の勉強していないの？
B: やってはいます。
In this case, the speaker
FYI The similar expression is
VことはVっています/いる （が・けれども/のですが..）
頑張ることは頑張っているのですが = I do try hard but ~
Link is here
先生、ありがとう！
いいえ、お役に立てたらうれしいです☺️
this lesson is just wordless!
totemo sugoi!desuyo! maggie sensei!
itsumo watashi ni nihongo o oshiete kurete hontouni arigatou gozaimasu!
nihongo ga donnani muzukashickutemo watashi ga settai ni ganbarimasu!
kono lesson no uta no kashi no youni ne.
Hi AISU!
Thank you for your comment!
Great!!! そうそう、これからも日本語（にほんご）がんばってください！！ :)
How can i say it? This lesson is… beautiful, thank you so much Maggie-sensei. And i think there’s a mistake in the artist name (the link to Youtube Jupiter by 平原綾香 Hirahara Ayaka but the title said Jupiter by 平山綾香 Hirayama Ayaka). Thank you so much for the songs :)
@why.you.and.i
Thank you for visiting this site. Also thank you for spotting the mistake. I fixed it.
ありがとう！！
えっと、よく考えると、「どころか」の使い方は間違ってるだろう。では、頑張ってはもちろん、くじけないようにしてください。正しいかな（汗）。
@Cygnus
がんばるとくじけないは似た様な意味ですから
もっと自然に言うには
「がんばって下さい。そしてくじけないで！」
ではどうかな？
ありがとう＾＾
２００９の四月から２０１１の三月中旬まで、日本に住んでいました。帰国する日は予め１５日だったけど、地震が起きたからこそ、出発をすること時に、私の心も悲しみ一杯で、日本人を支えてあげたくてたまらなかった。余震が続いても、マギーが素晴らしいレッソンを作り続けることを感謝いたします。「頑張って」を言うのが簡単だが、私も「頑張って」どころか、「くじけないで」を言ってあげたいと思います。
これからもお言葉に甘えて。
@Cygnus
温かいメッセージ嬉しかったです。こちらこそ、日本を離れても日本のことを心配してくれてありがとうございます！！
地震でしばらくレッスンをお休みしましたがこれからもみなさんに楽しいレッスンをがんばって作っていきますね。
また元気になった日本にいつか帰って来て下さい。
Te esperaremos aquí!
Un abrazo muy fuerte,
I join all the comments and…well I really don’t know what else to add to what has been said so far. Sometimes words are hard to find.
Sensei can I point out one little thing about the lesson? It is something that happened right the other day in a forum. It is about: もっと私達に甘えて下さい. Often in Japanese もっと is placed before the noun and we students think it could be used directly with nouns. Some of us (I did the same mistake too) tend to forget that もっと is an adverb and thus refers to the verb and not the noun :)
@charyop
Good point! I didn’t think it would confuse Japanese learners.
もっと is placed before adjectives or adverbs and modify them as well.
Ex. もっときれいになりたい。
Ex. もっと優しい男の人がいい。
Ex. もっとゆっくり話して下さい。
Ex. もっと静かな所で話しましょう。
Quite moving and educational lesson :), very very thank you,love it. The songs,all of them beautiful and encouraging. I wish i could live upto 100 years and have that clear, bright and wise mind as that lady poet Shibata Toyo.
@NylsX
Thank you for your comment!
Yes, it will be great to live up to 100 and still can write those beautiful poems, huh?
先生ありがとう。
嬉しいメッセージが沢山あり
とても感動し涙が出ました。
本当に辛い事が起きてしまいました・・
実質的に被害を受けていなくとも
日本人全てが心に大きな傷を受けて
今でも悲しんでいますよね・・
毎日、心のどこかが痛んで苦しいです。
沢山の国の方々が、こうして支援してくれる
応援してくれる事は本当に有り難く
『人』としての繋がりを感じ、心が温かくなります。
私も今だけではなく長期間に渡り物資や義援金を通し
ずっと支援していきます。
同じ日本人として頑張りましょうね！
『きっと』ではなく『絶対に』日本は復興します。
震災前より、もっと強い日本になれます！
@Kazumi-chan
初コメント有り難うございます。同感ですよ。みんな、同じ気持ちだと思います。何をやってもどこにいても同じ日本で起きた地震の傷跡が大きくて悲しみ、心配、不安にかられますが、人は皆つながっています。遠く離れたアフリカの子供達まで日本のことを心配して泣いてくれています。これだけ多くの人達が応援してくれているなんてすごいことですよね。ポジティブなエネルギーを送り続け復興を信じて日々、元気に過ごしましょう！
二週間になった。日本以外の私たちにとってはあっという間だけど、日本人にとってはどんなに辛いか、想像がつけないんです。柴田さんのことを初めて聞きましたけど、あんなに優しく静かな強さで、涙が流れてきた。きっと大丈夫、明日は味方ですからn_n
@薫
コメントありがとう！トヨさんの言葉は人生の大先輩（だいせんぱい）の言葉だけに心に響きますよね。薫さんの心にも伝わってよかったです。
Yes sensei. There are a lot of people here who love Japan. I donated some money quite a few times through a Japanese supermarket here. The box is always full. I pray for all the victims of this terrible disaster.
@Top
THANK YOU!! We hear the news of receiving support from all over the world almost everyday. We are deeply moved.
I am sure Japanese people won’t forget about this kindness and do the same to other countries. After all, we are all connected.
Very touching.
I love SMAP too.
強く未来を信じて
Best wishes to Japan.
Arigadou, sensei.
@B-chan
Yes, 未来を信じて！
Thank you for your support!
loved it! ahh Japanese people can be so simple, ne :) cause “do your best!” is not a hard thing to say but it can mean so much to them ^^ <3
@Aki
You are right. It is easy to say but difficult to do. So we all have to ganbaru!p(・∩・)q
I’m so heartbroken over this tragedy and I don’t know why…
Wonderful lesson as always, sensei…
@Top
As long as there is a person like you who is concerned about Japan, we all can be genki again someday. !ochame!