How to Say "Give Up" in Japanese

諦める

akirameru[a̠kʲiɾa̠me̞ɾɯ̟]

To give up in Japanese is 諦める.

諦める is used when one abandons a goal, a dream or a hope.

Meaning: stop, quit, desist (verb)

Which one should you use?

While 諦める means to give up on a goal or hope, 降参する is used specifically for surrendering in a fight, game or competition.

やめる is a casual way of expressing the idea of giving up and translates to 'quit'. The polite form of 諦める is 諦めます.

The negative form of 諦める is 諦めない and the past tense form is 諦めた.

akirameru

The word 諦める shares a root with the idea of 'seeing clearly'. It originally meant to see a situation for what it truly is, implying that giving up is a form of clarity rather than just failure.
The kanji for 諦める contains the character for 'bright' or 'clear' (明). This visual connection reinforces its historical connection to the idea of enlightenment or seeing the truth of a situation.
If a person is told 'don't give up' in a sports context, using 諦める might sound too heavy or permanent. A coach would more likely use words related to 'effort' or 'persistence' rather than the direct negation of 'giving up'.

諦めるっていうの？
Are you just going to give up?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone is going to give up using 諦める.
Tatoeba #8747320 by bunbuku, translation #3151619 by CK
諦めるつもりなの？
Are you going to give up?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone intends to give up using 諦める.
Tatoeba #8751975 by bunbuku, translation #3151621 by CK
失敗しても諦めるな。
Don't give up if you fail.
This sentence is useful for a command to not give up using 諦める.
Tatoeba #149603 by bunbuku, translation #264955 by CK
彼はプロジェクトを諦めました。
He gave up on the project.
私は勉強を諦めない。
I won't give up on studying.
彼は困難な状況で手を引いた。
He gave up in a difficult situation.
もうあきらめるのだ！
Just give up already!
もうやめよう。
Let's just quit.
10 more sentences on Tatoeba

Sources

Wiktionary, “give up” translations and entries 諦める, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 諦める, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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