続ける
つづける
tsuzukeru
= to continue / to keep doing / to go on / to carry on
Tsuzukeru names the deliberate act of keeping something going — a choice to not stop, not give up, and carry a thread forward through time. Where many Japanese verbs describe a single action, tsuzukeru is about duration and resolve.
As a transitive verb, tsuzukeru takes a direct object or is attached to another verb: benkyou wo tsuzukeru (to continue studying), shigoto wo tsuzukeru (to keep working). Its intransitive counterpart tsuzuku (続く) describes something continuing on its own — ame ga tsuzuku (the rain keeps going) — while tsuzukeru always implies a human agent making the effort. One of its most productive uses is as a verb suffix: attach -tsuzukeru to the stem of another verb to express ongoing action — hashiri-tsuzukeru (keep running), yomi-tsuzukeru (keep reading), machi-tsuzukeru (keep waiting). The related noun tsuzuki (続き) means continuation or sequel, as in tsuzuki wa ashita (to be continued tomorrow).
The transitive/intransitive pair is the most important distinction to learn. Tsuzukeru requires a doer who is keeping something going; tsuzuku describes a situation that continues by itself. A useful test: if you can say ‘I keep doing X,’ use tsuzukeru. If you want to say ‘X keeps happening,’ use tsuzuku. Also, the suffix form -tsuzukeru is extremely common in speech and writing — mastering it will let you describe sustained effort for almost any verb: kangae-tsuzukeru (keep thinking), ai-shi-tsuzukeru (keep loving).
The kanji 続 is built on the thread radical 糸 (糸) on the left, combined with 売 (sell/extend) on the right. The thread radical frequently signals connection or continuity in kanji, and 売 contributes a sense of extending outward. Together they suggest a thread that keeps running — continuous, unbroken, always moving forward. This character also appears in renzoku (連続, series/consecutive) and sōzoku (相続, inheritance), both involving something passed along without interruption.
Everyday use
雨が降っていても、毎朝ジョギングを続けている。
Ame ga futte ite mo, maiasa jogingu wo tsuzukete iru.
Even when it rains, I keep up my morning jog every day.
Casual / Social Media
3年間ほぼ毎日絵を描き続けた結果がこれです。続けることって本当に大事。
San-nen kan hobo mainichi e wo kaki-tsuzuketa kekka ga kore desu. Tsuzukeru koto tte hontō ni daiji.
This is the result of drawing almost every day for three years. Keeping at it really matters.
Formal / Cultural context
困難な状況下でも事業を続けていただいたことに、深く感謝申し上げます。
Konnan na jōkyō ka demo jigyō wo tsuzukete itadaita koto ni, fukaku kansha mōshiagemasu.
We are deeply grateful that you continued your operations even under difficult circumstances.
Tsuzukeru resonates with a value deeply embedded in Japanese culture: the idea that sustained, patient effort — rather than sudden bursts of talent — is what defines achievement. The concept of keizoku wa chikara nari (継続は力なり, persistence is power) is a well-known proverb that uses the same root kanji, and it is frequently cited in school contexts and workplace motivational settings. The word carries a quiet moral weight.
In sports culture, tsuzukeru appears constantly in interviews with athletes who describe training regimens and recovery from injury. Japanese sports coverage tends to linger on the narrative of continuation — years of practice, setbacks endured, the decision to keep going — as much as on the win itself. This framing makes tsuzukeru a word associated not just with habit but with character.
The suffix form -tsuzukeru gives the word an especially broad cultural footprint. Manga and anime series that run for years are described as having tsuzuite iru (continuing), and devoted fans celebrate longevity as a virtue in itself. Titles and taglines built around -tsuzukeru — particularly in sports manga — use the verb to signal that the story, like effort itself, refuses to end.