Welcome back to another “Video & Article” series, this time for another live-stream with tutor Erika. This live-stream was aired during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, so the topic is how to cheer someone on in Japanese. You can use the following vocabulary and phrases when watching your favourite sport or even when cheering up friends and colleagues.
| Table of Contents [Sport-related Vocabulary] [How to cheer someone on] [大丈夫] |
[Sport-related Vocabulary]
Erika is a huge figure skating fan and went to Korea to cheer on the Japanese figure skaters competing. And luckily, Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno won Gold and Silver medals! Let’s take a look at some sports-related vocabulary.| 金メダル | Gold medal |
| 銀メダル | Silver medal |
| 銅メダル | Bronze medal |
| 表彰台 | Winner’s Podium |
[How to cheer someone on]
Next, let’s take a look at different expressions you can use to cheer someone on in Japanese. How can you encourage athletes or the people around you?The word for “To support someone” in Japanese is “応援する”. “おうえん” is a noun meaning “support”, “cheering”, or “aid”, and “する” as you all know is the verb for “to do”.
Another verb you can use is “頑張る”. The verb itself means “to try one’s hardest”, or “to persist”. To cheer someone on, you could say:
頑張れ！
頑張って！
頑張ってね。
A formal option would be: “頑張ってください”. All of these phrases can be translated to “Good luck!” or “Keep it up!”. It’s a very commonly used expression in Japanese. You can use it in pretty much any situation, so don’t worry too much about the English translation and use it when you want to cheer someone up or if someone is having a hard time.
During the Olympics, you may hear many Japanese fans chanting:
がんばれ！がんばれ にっぽん！
Another phrase you can use is “あきらめないで!” which means “Don’t give up!”. It is usually softly spoken and has a feminine touch. A more fierce version would be “あきらめるな”. This phrase comes from the verb “あきらめる” which means “to give up”. If you add “ないで” to the verb stem, or “な” to the dictionary form, it becomes a negative sentence meaning “Never give up!”, or “Don’t give up!”.
Let’s look at yet another expression:
なんとかなる
なんとかなるよ
なんとかなるさ
All of these are variations of “Everything will be okay”, or “It’ll be fine”. Another translation could be: “Things will work out.”
When you see friends or colleagues who are having a hard time or are working too much, you might want to tell them “Please take it easy!”, or “Don’t strain yourself too much!”. In Japanese you could say: 無理をしないでください (polite)
無理しないでね！ (casual)
“無理する” is a verb meaning “to strain” or “overwork” oneself.
If you want to encourage someone, you can also say:
君ならできるよ！
あなたならできるよ！
Instead of “君” or “あなた” you can use the name of the person you are talking to, e.g.: “なおこならできるよ”. This sentence means “You can do it!”.
[大丈夫]
Let’s took a look at one last expression used nearly as often as “がんばって” in Japanese: “大丈夫”. “大丈夫”, or “大丈夫だよ” can be translated to “Everything will be fine”, “It’s okay”, or “Don’t worry” in English. It is an expression used to make the other person feel relief, and sometimes also has a similar meaning as “Calm down!” in English. It’s just a little more subtle.As Erika says, it’s kind of a magical word that will help your friends relax and feel better! If you see someone who is worried or having a hard time, try and help them calm down by saying “大丈夫だよ”, and then help them by listening to their problems.
That’s it for today. If you have any questions, you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
単語リスト（Vocabulary list）
| フィギュアスケート | Figure skating |
| 応援する | To cheer someone on |
| 韓国 | Korea |
| 金メダル | Gold medal |
| 銀メダル | Silver medal |
| 銅メダル | Bronze medal |
| 表彰台 | Winner’s podium |
| 仕方 | Way, method |
| 頑張る | To persist, to try one’s best |
| あきらめる | To give up |
| なんとかなる | To manage somehow, to be alright somehow |
| 無理する | To strain oneself, to overwork oneself |
| 大丈夫 | All right, safe, okay |