剛毅・豪毅|ごうきgouki[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noun, na-adjectivefortitude; firmness of character; sturdiness; inner strength; hardihood

• Synonym不屈ふくつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Focuses on never yielding to hardship or pressure; the closest match for the 'unbending' side of 「剛毅」.
• Related強固きょうこWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means solid and unshakable, used of wills, organizations or structures — it can describe things, not just a person's character.
• Related勇壮ゆうそうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Suggests grand, stirring valor; typically describes scenes or music rather than a person's inner fortitude.
• Related健気けなげNeutralNeutral. Praises someone small or weak who strives hard against difficulty, with an affectionate tone; 「剛毅」 is about unbending strength.
• Related大胆だいたんNeutralNeutral. Daring in the sense of boldly doing things without fear of failure, as in 「大胆な発想」; about audacity, not endurance of hardship.
• Related不敵ふてきWrittenWritten/formal prose. Suggests audacity bordering on recklessness and often carries a negative shade, as in 「不敵な笑み」.
• Related断固だんこWrittenWritten/formal prose. A firm, hardline attitude or decision, as in 「断固拒否」; about resoluteness of stance, not overall character.
• Related壮絶そうぜつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Depicts extremely fierce, tragic-heroic scenes or struggles; 「剛毅」 evaluates a person's unyielding spirit.
• Related勇敢ゆうかんNeutralNeutral and common in daily speech. Simply having the courage to face danger; 「剛毅」 adds the nuance of a strong, unyielding character.
• Related勇猛ゆうもうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Emphasizes charging fiercely and fearlessly into action, more martial than the inner fortitude of 「剛毅」.
• Related勇ましいいさましいCasualColloquial. Brave in bearing and spirit; also used of a stirring, heroic tune, while 「剛毅」 is written prose about character.
• Related壮烈そうれつWrittenWritten/formal prose, as in 「壮烈な戦い」, for fierce, heroic fighting; 「剛毅」 speaks of a strong, unyielding character.
• Related雄々しいおおしいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Highlights manly, outward heroism — a gallant bearing — rather than the inner strength of character that 「剛毅」 denotes.
• Related剛勇ごうゆうWrittenWritten/formal prose and quite rare. Points to fierce, martial valor rather than the steadfast, unyielding character of 「剛毅」.
• Related揺るぎないゆるぎないNeutralNeutral. Describes beliefs or positions that cannot be shaken, as in 「揺るぎない自信」; it names steadiness, not the whole tough character.
• Related大胆不敵だいたんふてきWrittenWritten/formal prose. Fearless of anything, used with either praise or criticism; 「剛毅」 praises unyielding strength of will.
• RelatedひたむきNeutralNeutral. Single-minded devotion to one thing; it stresses dedication, not the toughness and strength of will that 「剛毅」 implies.
• Related堅忍不抜けんにんふばつFormalFormal. Long-term patient endurance without wavering; a formal idiom for perseverance, not for everyday speech.
• Antonym軟弱なんじゃくNeutralNeutral and an antonym: weak-willed and easily swayed, directly opposed to the steadfast, unyielding spirit of 「剛毅」.
• Antonym柔弱にゅうじゃくWrittenWritten/formal prose and an antonym: lacking vigor and backbone, the opposite of the strong, resolute character 「剛毅」 praises.

Use 「剛毅」 for a strong will that does not buckle under hardship — a written, formal-prose word for character, as in 「剛毅な性格」. For everyday courage choose 「勇敢」; for refusing to yield, 「不屈」; the opposite is 「軟弱」. Also: 「揺るぎない」 unshakable beliefs; 「断固」 a hardline stance; 「大胆」 bold action; 「健気」 admirable effort by the weak; 「勇ましい」 colloquial bravery; 「勇壮」「壮絶」「壮烈」 fierce, stirring scenes; 「強固」 solid wills or structures; 「直向き」 single-minded effort; 「堅忍不抜」 formal, long-enduring perseverance.

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

1. 意志いしが固かたく、困難こんなんなどに挫くじけないこと。