本 腰(ほんごし)

ほんごし

noun

serious effort; earnest commitment

1. serious effort; earnest commitment

The state of applying oneself in earnest, after a period of half-hearted or preliminary work. Nearly always appears in the phrase 本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れる.

そろそろ本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れよう。

It's about time to get serious.

会社(かいしゃ)は海外(かいがい)展開(てんかい)に本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れ始(はじ)めた。

The company has begun to commit seriously to overseas expansion.

試験(しけん)まであと一(いっ)か月(げつ)になって、ようやく本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れて勉強(べんきょう)し始(はじ)めた。

With only a month until the exam, he finally got down to studying in earnest.

Usage

The word is essentially bound to its collocation: 本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れる (to get serious about). It is rarely used as a free-standing noun, and it implies a contrast with earlier half-hearted effort.

Common collocations

本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れる: to get serious, to commit fully
本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れて取(と)り組(く)む: to tackle something in earnest
政府(せいふ)が本腰(ほんごし)を入(い)れる: for the government to act in earnest

Similar words

真剣(しんけん)になる: to become serious — about attitude at a moment, not sustained commitment
力(ちから)を入(い)れる: to put effort into — describes where resources go, without the "finally getting serious" nuance

Related Words

Compare: 片手間(かたてま) (spare time)

general

Added 2026.8.13 9:22 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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