JLPT N2 · な-adjective

懸命 (kenmei)

懸命 (けんめい, kenmei) is a Japanese な-adjective meaning “eager; earnest”. It appears in JLPT N2 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: けんめい
Romaji: kenmei
Word class: な-adjective
Level: JLPT N2 (unofficial)

Meaning

eager; earnest; strenuous; fervent; assiduous · な-adjective, noun

Example sentences

父は私が懸命に働かなければならないと言った。

My father said that I must work hard.

Tatoeba #84553

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of 懸命

な-adjective. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Present (plain)	懸命だ	けんめいだ kenmeida
Present (polite)	懸命です	けんめいです kenmeidesu
Negative	懸命じゃない	けんめいじゃない kenmeijanai
Past	懸命だった	けんめいだった kenmeidatta
Negative past	懸命じゃなかった	けんめいじゃなかった kenmeijanakatta
Te-form	懸命で	けんめいで kenmeide
Before a noun	懸命な	けんめいな kenmeina
Adverb (~ni)	懸命に	けんめいに kenmeini

Kanji in 懸命

懸

state of suspension, hang, dependケン・ケ・か.ける・か.かる · 20 strokes

命

fate, command, decreeメイ・ミョウ・いのち · 8 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 懸命.

一生懸命いっしょうけんめいvery hard懸賞けんしょうoffering a prize命いのちlife生命せいめいlife命令めいれいorder命じるめいじるto order寿命じゅみょうlifespan人命じんめい(human) life命ずるめいずるto order任命にんめいappointment運命うんめいfate革命かくめいrevolution使命しめいmission宿命しゅくめいfate

Source: JMdict entry 1257730 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.