向(む)こう気(き)

むこうき
noun
pluck; combativeness; fighting spirit
personality
1. pluck; combativeness; readiness to take someone on
A disposition to face an opponent or difficulty head-on rather than backing down. Carries a note of youthful boldness that can shade into recklessness, and is most often used of someone who is outmatched but refuses to yield.
彼(かれ)は向(む)こう気(き)が強(つよ)い。
He is a scrappy sort who never backs down.
若(わか)いころは向(む)こう気(き)ばかり強(つよ)かった。
When I was young I was all fight and no sense.
向(む)こう気(き)の強(つよ)さだけで勝(か)てるほど甘(あま)い世界(せかい)ではない。
This is not a world where sheer combativeness alone is enough to win.

Almost always appears with 強(つよ)い — the bare noun is rarely used on its own. The evaluation is mixed: admiring of the courage, wary of the lack of judgment.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 負(ま)けん気(き): competitive spirit — hating to lose, without the sense of squaring up to an opponent
  • 気(き)が強(つよ)い: strong-willed — general assertiveness, not tied to confrontation
  • 血気(けっき): hot-bloodedness — more literary, emphasizes youthful impetuousness

Related Words

Compare: 負(ま)けん気(き) (competitive spirit)
Compare: 気(き)が強(つよ)い (strong-willed)
general
Added 2026.8.31 21:32 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
30500/30775_mukouki