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Some kanji go together like peanut butter and jelly. Where you find one, you also find the other. For instance, 意 (I: will, heart, mind, thought, meaning, sense) frequently pairs off with 気, 地, and 得 inside compounds and expressions. In other words, 意 seems to be quite the trigamist.

意 + 気

In and of itself, 意気 (iki) means “spirit,” “disposition,” and “morale.” With a sample sentence from Jim Breen’s online dictionary, we can try to make sense of this abstract word:

鈴木さん、その意気ですよ。
Suzuki-san, sono iki desu yo.
That’s the spirit, Mr. Suzuki.

If Mr. Suzuki is indeed in the right spirit, we might say the following about him:

意気に燃える (iki ni moeru: to be fired up with enthusiasm for accomplishing something)
     spirit (1st 2 chars.) + to burn, to get fired up

He’s on fire! A more literal translation is that his spirit is burning. But that sounds dangerous or counterproductive, as it could lead to burnout. So let’s just see him as burning with enthusiasm.

意気込み (ikigomi: ardor; enthusiasm)
     spirit (1st 2 chars.) + to drive inward

The spirit has entered him. He’ll soon be speaking in tongues!

意気揚々 (ikiyōyō: triumphant, exultant, in high and
proud spirits)     spirit (1st 2 chars.) + to be in high spirits

If his spirits were low before, saying ikiyōyō will certainly boost his morale.

Here’s another word that’s fun to say (if a bit tricky):

心意気 (kokoroiki: disposition, spirit, sentiment)
     heart + spirit (last 2 chars.)

Each kanji here refers to the mind, heart, and spirit. What a powerful combination of characters!

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