Tsuyoku naritai is Japanese. Tsuyoku is “strong”; naru is “becoming,” and the form naritai is “want to become.” Together it means, “I want to become stronger,” and it expresses a sentiment embodied more intensely in Japanese works than in any Western literature I’ve read. You might say it when expressing your determination to become a professional Go player—or after you lose an important match, but you haven’t given up—or after you win an important match, but you’re not a ninth-dan player yet—or after you’ve become the greatest Go player of all time, but you still think you can do better. That is tsuyoku naritai, the will to transcendence.
This is part of the “What are words for?” project. This word scored a six on a three part scale of allusiveness, political oomph and cultural capital (min score 1, max score 3 for each part of the scale). Lots of words did. This is one I clawed from the slushpile on a whim.
marchudson.net 