Word
持続
Meaning in Englishcontinuation, endurance
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
持続 means the ongoing maintenance or continuation of something over time. It denotes a state of being kept up or carried forward with stability, rather than a temporary condition.
Main meanings
- Continuation over time — jizoku
- Durability or persistence in processes or situations — jizokusei
- Sustainability or long-term viability in policies or systems — jizokukanousei
- As a base noun for 持続する, meaning to persist or endure — jizoku suru
How to use it
Primarily used as a noun in formal and written Japanese; forms verbs and compounds such as 持続する and 持続性, and appears in academic, policy, and environmental discourse to discuss continuity, endurance, or long-term viability.
Variants and close terms
- 持続性 — jizokusei
- 継続 — keizoku
- 連続 — renzoku
- 持続する — jizoku suru
- 持続可能性 — jizokukanousei
- Antonyms: 短命 — tannmei; 中断 — chuudan; 断絶 — danzetsu
Composition
- 持 — hold, possess, maintain
- 続 — continue, endure
Etymology
持続 combines 持 (to hold) and 続 (to continue), yielding the sense of keeping something going over time. The common on-reading is じぞく (jizoku).
Word class
noun (名詞); also the base for 持続する (to persist)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
受持ち
ukemochi
charge (of something), matter in one's charge
N1
支持
shiji
support
N1
所持
shoji
possession, owning
N1
接続詞
setsuzokushi
conjunction
N1
存続
sonzoku
duration, continuance
N1
持ち切り
mochikiri
hot topic, talk of the town
N2
～続く
～tsuzuku
follow, continue, go on
N2
受け持つ
ukemotsu
to take (be in) charge of
N2
継続
keizoku
continuation