力

Meaning in English

strength, power, force

Stroke order

Animated kanji stroke order

力

Sentence

Related sentences

N3 努力すれば必ず成功するとは限らないが意味はあると思う Doryoku sureba kanarazu seikou suru to wa kagiranai ga imi wa aru to omou Even with effort success is not guaranteed but it still has meaning N3 努力しないで成功したいなんて無理というものだ Doryoku shinai de seikou shitai nante muri to iu mono da Wanting success without effort is simply unreasonable N3 年を取るにつれて体力が落ちてきたと感じる Toshi o toru ni tsurete tairyoku ga ochite kita to kanjiru I feel my stamina decreases as I age N3 努力したものの結果は思ったほど良くなかった Doryoku shita mono no kekka wa omotta hodo yokunakatta Although I tried hard results were not so good N3 彼の成功は努力の結果にほかならない Kare no seikou wa doryoku no kekka ni hoka naranai His success is nothing other than the result of effort N3 彼の努力には本当に感心するものがある Kare no doryoku ni wa hontou ni kanshin suru mono ga aru His effort is truly impressive N3 努力してこそ本当の成果が得られる Doryoku shite koso hontou no seika ga erareru Only effort brings real results N4 もっと努力する必要があります。 Motto doryoku suru hitsuyou ga arimasu. I need to try harder. N4 努力した結果によって将来の選択も変わってくると思う Doryoku shita kekka ni yotte shourai no sentaku mo kawatte kuru to omou Depending on effort future choices also change

Dictionary

Word context

What it means

The kanji 力 answers the question "What does 力 mean?" by denoting power or the capacity to exert force; it refers to physical strength, the ability to perform work, and by extension personal capability or influence in practical situations.

Main meanings

bodily muscle or athletic capability used in everyday descriptions of someone's physical condition or prowess
individual competence or skill when discussing someone's ability to perform tasks or roles
exertion or applied effort, describing the act of putting energy into an action
social, political, or economic influence—ability to affect outcomes beyond pure muscle
a technical sense of force or power in scientific and engineering contexts

How to use it

Used widely in casual and formal speech as a standalone noun to refer to someone's strength or capability, it also appears inside compound words to modify meaning toward power or capacity and is common in scientific, political, and literary contexts; appropriate across registers, context determines whether it means literal muscular force, personal ability, applied effort, or abstract influence.

Variants and close terms

強さ (tsuyosa) — strength, emphasis on degree of strength
能力 (nōryoku) — ability, capacity
勢力 (seiryoku) — influence, political or organizational power
努力 (doryoku) — effort, focused exertion (related but emphasizes work)
弱さ (yowasa) — weakness (antonym)

Composition

The character 力 (chikara) is a simple pictographic form whose strokes historically evoke a stylized arm or muscle and functions as an independent kanji and as a radical in other characters; its compact shape makes it a common building block in compounds denoting force or effort.

Origin

The spoken word ちから existed in Old Japanese; the logographic character was taken from Chinese writing during the early centuries of kanji adoption (roughly the Kofun–Asuka periods) and became integrated into classical and later Japanese texts for both everyday and technical vocabulary.

Word class

noun (名詞)

Kanji