Translation guide
The ability to recover quickly from difficulties, setbacks, or adversity. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through various words and phrases that emphasize bouncing back, enduring, or maintaining a positive attitude.
Expressing the general capacity to recover from difficulties or setbacks, often used in personal development or everyday conversation.
Literally 'recovery power', this is the most direct translation for resilience in the sense of bouncing back from illness, setbacks, or adversity. Commonly used in both personal and professional contexts.
彼女はどんな困難からも立ち直る回復力がある。
She has the resilience to bounce back from any difficulty.
The loanword from English, increasingly used in business, psychology, and self-help contexts. It carries a modern, slightly technical nuance.
組織のレジリエンスを高めることが重要だ。
It's important to enhance organizational resilience.
Literally 'the power to stand back up', this phrase emphasizes the act of recovering after a fall or failure. It is more colloquial and vivid than 回復力.
失敗しても、立ち直る力が大切だ。
Even if you fail, resilience is important.
Describing the inner strength to persevere through hardship without giving up, often associated with determination and endurance.
Refers to mental strength or fortitude. It implies the capacity to endure stress and maintain composure. Common in sports, work, and personal challenges.
彼の精神力はすごい。どんなプレッシャーにも負けない。
His mental resilience is amazing. He never succumbs to any pressure.
Literally 'tenacity' or 'persistence', this word emphasizes sticking with something despite difficulties. It is often used to describe a person's character.
彼女の粘り強さが成功につながった。
Her resilience (tenacity) led to success.
Means 'patience' or 'endurance', focusing on the ability to tolerate hardship without complaint. It can imply a more passive form of resilience.
彼は我慢強さがあるから、きっと乗り越えられる。
He has resilience (endurance), so he'll surely overcome it.
Referring to the physical property of returning to original shape after deformation, or metaphorically to systems that recover quickly.
Primarily means 'elasticity' in a physical sense, but can be used metaphorically for flexible resilience in systems or minds. Common in economics and engineering.
この素材は弾力性に富んでいる。
This material has high resilience (elasticity).
Literally 'restoring force', used in physics and engineering for resilience. Less common in everyday speech.
Emphasizing the ability to maintain a positive outlook and adapt in the face of challenges, often associated with emotional resilience.
Means 'positive attitude' or 'forward-looking stance'. It captures the aspect of resilience that involves optimism and proactive coping.
困難な時こそ、前向きな姿勢が大切だ。
Especially in tough times, resilience (a positive attitude) is important.
Means 'optimism', but in the context of resilience, it refers to the disposition to expect positive outcomes. Often used in psychology.
彼の楽観性が周りを元気づける。
His resilience (optimism) cheers up those around him.
回復力 (recovery power) focuses on bouncing back after a setback, while 精神力 (mental strength) emphasizes enduring and withstanding pressure. Use 回復力 for recovery from illness or failure, and 精神力 for grit in ongoing challenges.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches all nuances of 'resilience'. Using レジリエンス is acceptable in modern contexts, but in traditional or everyday speech, choose a more specific term based on the situation.
このバネの復元力は強い。
This spring has strong resilience.