The Meaning of tsutomete [努めて] In Japanese

努めて
つとめて
Romaji: tsutomete N5

What does 努めて mean?

Translation and Meaning

endeavoring, with effort

Definition

What does 努めて mean? It is the te-form of 努める, used to express doing something with effort or making an effort to perform an action, often preceding another verb.

Type

Verb (動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to make an effort; to strive
  • to do something with effort or diligence; to try hard to
  • the adverbial nuance of ‘as much as possible’ or ‘with effort’ when paired with a following verb

Etymology

努 is the kanji carrying the sense of exertion; the te-form て is added to the stem 努め to form 努めて, a native, productive conjugation that links actions and emphasizes effort rather than introducing a loanword or phonetic shift.

Composition

  • 努: the kanji conveying effort or striving; めて shows the connective te-form, turning the verb 努める into 努めて, which signals ‘do with effort’ before the following verb

Usage

Used to express that an action should be performed with effort or that one is making a conscious effort; commonly found in instruction, guidance, formal writing, and polite speech; before another verb the phrase 努めて can mean ‘do your best to’ or ‘try to’ followed by the action.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: associate 努 with effort and remember that the te-form 努めて literally means ‘do with effort’— when you see it, picture pushing a weight toward a goal while tying the action to the next verb.

Variations

  • 尽力する (jinryoku suru) — to do one’s utmost
  • 努力する (doryoku suru) — to make an effort
  • 心掛ける (kokorogakeru) — to make it a point to; to intend
  • 手を抜く (te o nuku) — to slack off

Example Phrases

  • 私は 毎朝、 遅刻しないよう 努めて 早く 出る。
    Watashi wa maiasa, chikoku shinai you tsutomete hayaku deru.
    I make an effort to leave early every morning so as not to be late.
    Lista:
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 毎朝 (maiasa) – every morning
    • 遅刻しないよう (chikoku shinai you) – in order not to be late
    • 努めて (tsutomete) – with effort
    • 早く (hayaku) – early
    • 出る (deru) – to leave
    Core: 「努めて」 is the te-form of 努める, indicating that you are making an effort toward the following action.
努めて