Introducing the coolest Japanese phrases, as chosen by the Japanese people themselves.
Get them tattooed, adopt them as your motto, or show them off to everyone!
- 信義(shingi)
- 不屈(fukutsu)
- 覚悟(kakugo)
- 闘志(toshi)
- 飛翔(hisho)
- 黎明(reimei)
- 仁愛(jinai)
- 風雅(fuga)
- 幽玄(yugen)
- 久遠(kuon)
覚悟(kakugo)
■The Meaning of “覚悟(kakugo)”
Preparing mentally by anticipating adverse situations or major events.
Resolving to see it through no matter what, and preparing oneself to accept the outcome or pain.
覚: To understand clearly
悟: To realize truth, to accept it deep in one’s gut
In other words, it’s the state of steeled resolve—accepting whatever happens. This is “覚悟(kakugo)”.
■The Origin of “覚悟(kakugo)”
Originating from Buddhist terminology.
Originally, it carried a profound spiritual resolve—a determination to swallow all suffering in order to attain enlightenment.
In Japan, influenced by Bushido(武士道),it also came to mean
“to uphold something even at the cost of one’s life.”
