叱咤する

• Reading: しったする
• Romaji: shitta suru
• Kanji breakdown: 叱 (shitsu/shikaru) — to scold; 咤 (ta) — to shout at, to scold loudly
• Pronunciation: /ɕit.ta sɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To scold loudly; to reprimand with force; to urge or exhort strongly.

A Group 3 (irregular する) verb. 叱咤 combines two kanji both meaning to scold or reprimand, giving a doubled sense of loud, forceful reproval. Unlike simple 叱る (to scold), 叱咤する carries a sense of rousing or pushing someone forward. It is especially common in the compound 叱咤激励する (to spur on with stern encouragement), blending stern reprimand with powerful motivation.

Examples

1. コーチは試合中に選手を叱咤して奮い立たせた。 The coach sternly berated the players during the match to fire them up.
2. 部長は失敗した部下を叱咤するだけでなく改善策も示した。 The department head not only reprimanded the subordinate who had failed but also showed him how to improve.
3. 叱咤激励を受けた新人はその後めきめきと成長した。 The new recruit, spurred on by stern encouragement, rapidly grew from that point on.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, workplace, leadership, motivation, military

Tone: stern

Origin & History

From the Chinese compound 叱咤 (shǐzhà in Mandarin), where both characters mean to shout angrily. Adopted into Japanese to describe forceful scolding or urging. The phrase 叱咤激励 (stern scolding combined with encouragement) is especially prevalent in Japanese sports and workplace culture.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: General