しぶとい（しぶとい、shibutoi）
- tenacious

The Japanese word しぶとい describes the quality of being tenacious, persistent, stubborn, or tough. It can refer to a person's character, an object's durability, or even the tenacity of a situation. It implies a resistance to giving up, even in the face of difficulty or hardship. The meaning depends on the context, but it always has a sense of strength and endurance. しぶとい often implies a slightly negative connotation, especially when describing a person's stubbornness. It indicates an unwillingness to yield, to give in or to stop.

⚫︎あの選手はしぶといね。 Translation: That player is tenacious. ⚫︎この生地はしぶといから、なかなか破れない。 Translation: This fabric is durable, so it doesn't tear easily. ⚫︎風邪がしぶとい。なかなか治らない。 Translation: This cold is persistent. It's not getting better easily.

⚫︎Use しぶとい to describe someone who doesn't give up easily, even when facing challenges. ⚫︎It can also describe something that's difficult to get rid of or that lasts for a long time. ⚫︎When describing a person, be mindful that しぶとい can sometimes imply stubbornness or being overly persistent, so consider the context. ⚫︎It is applicable in conversations about sports, work, health, or even inanimate objects.

⚫︎The word しぶとい is written in hiragana. ⚫︎The kanji form is 渋い (meaning "bitter" or "astringent") + 拗音 (to twist, become bent, etc.) + い (adjective suffix). ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎頑固 (がんこ - stubborn) ⚫︎粘り強い (ねばりづよい - persistent, tenacious) ⚫︎不屈な (ふくつな - indomitable, unyielding) ⚫︎タフ (tafu - tough - katakana word) ⚫︎根性がある (こんじょうがある - to have grit, to be determined)

⚫︎弱い (よわい - weak) ⚫︎脆い (もろい - fragile, brittle) ⚫︎あきらめやすい (あきらめやすい - easy to give up) ⚫︎臆病 (おくびょう - cowardly)

彼はしぶとい性格で、どんな困難にも立ち向かう。 ・Translation: He has a tenacious personality and faces any difficulty. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone's ability to keep going even when things are tough.

この汚れはしぶとい。なかなか落ちない。 ・Translation: This stain is stubborn. It doesn't come off easily. ・Explanation: This sentence describes something that is difficult to get rid of.

The etymology of しぶとい is not definitively known, but it is believed to come from the word 渋い(しぶ) and "to-i" suffix. The literal meaning of しぶ relates to astringent taste or feeling and the “to-i” suffix denotes an adjective. However, the exact reason is not well established. The adjective ending "い" turns the word into an adjective.