勢い

• Reading: いきおい
• Romaji: ikioi
• Kanji breakdown: 勢 (sei/ikioi) — force, power, vigour
• Pronunciation: /i.ki.o.i/

Meaning

Force; vigour; momentum; energy. The power or intensity behind an action or movement.

A noun describing physical or metaphorical force and momentum. Used for natural forces (水の勢い, force of water), personal energy (勢いがある, to have momentum), and impulsive actions (勢いで, carried by the moment). In business and sports, describes trends and competitive drive. The adverbial form 勢いよく means 'vigorously.'

Examples

1. 風の勢いで木が倒れそうだ。 The tree looks like it's going to fall over from the force of the wind.
2. 勢いよくドアを開けたら壁にぶつかった。 I opened the door so forcefully that it hit the wall.
3. 最近このチームには勢いがある。 This team has had a lot of momentum lately.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, nature, business

Tone: energetic

Origin & History

Composed of 勢 (force, power) and い (nominaliser). The kanji 勢 combines 埶 (planting) and 力 (power), originally referring to the vital force of growing plants.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal