健闘

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 健闘 means performing well or making a strong effort against a difficult opponent or under difficult conditions.
• Basic usage: It positively evaluates an athlete’s performance or a colleague’s efforts in a demanding situation.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Effort and outcome
  • 健闘 praises the way someone competes or performs. It can describe a losing finalist, so its focus differs from 勝利, victory.
• The homophone 検討
  • 検討 is also read けんとう, but means examining or considering something. 健闘をたたえる praises a strong effort, while 案を検討する means considering a proposal.