How to say "spur" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 駆り立てるかりたてるCommon
    ichidan verb, transitive verbVerb for spurring a horse or driving cattle and sheep; it also means to urge someone on. Picture a rider, a herd, or forcefully driving a person to act.
  • 刺激しげきJLPT N3approx.Common
    noun, suru verb, transitive verbA noun covering the figurative 'spur' — a stimulus or impetus that prompts action, as in 'a spur to growth'. Its senses of stimulus and impulse make it the natural choice here.
    昇進しょうしんがより一層いっそう働はたらく刺激しげきとなった。↗
    Promotion was an incentive to harder work.

Use the verb 「駆り立てる」 for literally spurring a horse or driving and urging on, and the noun 刺激 for a figurative spur — a stimulus or impetus to action.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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