音読み: ベン
訓読み: つとめる
画数: 10
部首: ちから（力）
Meaning
Exertion / Effort / Study / Endeavor
- Basic forms
- 勉める — to strive; to make an effort / base form
- 勉めます — (I) strive / masu form
- 勉めた — strove / ta form
- 勉めて — strive and … / te form
- 勉めない — do not strive / negative
- 勉めれば — if (someone) strives / conditional
- 勉めろ ・ 勉めよ — strive! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 勉めたい — want to strive / 〜たい form
- 勉められる — can strive / potential
- 勉められた — could strive / past potential
- 勉められない — cannot strive / negative potential
- More
- 勉めよう — let’s make an effort / volitional
- 勉めなかった — didn’t strive / past negative
- 勉めている — is striving / progressive
勉める（つとめる） is an ichidan verb. It means "to strive" or "to endeavor."
- 勉強 — study
- 勉学 — pursuit of learning
- 勤勉 — diligence
- 勉励 — hard work
- 勉力 — exerting effort
- 勉強家 — studious person
勉 is composed of 免 (べん, as phonetic) and 力 (ちから, power). It conveys the idea of putting in effort to overcome something, often used in the context of studying or striving.