<p>You make an overly broad assumption with this particular word. "Ossu" here is talked about not as a salutation here, but for a deeper more philosophical meaning in general.</p>

<p>Ossu, is made of of two kanji:</p>

<p>[押]{おっ} and [忍]{す}. 押 by itself loosely translates to the action of apply pressure to something, such as pushing. 忍 means endurance or restraint.</p>

<p>The dialogue by the character here breaks down the literal meaning of the word and uses the two kanji as a philosophy of sorts. It's like using the word embodiment of a word as a sort of ambition or goal to live by. </p>

<p>In this case the spirit of Ossu is made up of these two kanji. The meaning here is to apply them meaning of those to your own life and when you use them remember their meaning so that it may carry you further, whenever or wherever you may need it, like a mantra.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T01:05:47.600Z
Thanks for your clarification! Would those two kanji be the ones translated as "oshi" and "shinobu" [here](http://www.australiankyokushin.com/osu.shtml)? And is this also the meaning the word carries when the word is used elsewhere, or does it simply carry multiple meanings, as it doesn't *seem* to carry that much meaning most of the time? Anyway, I am going to leave the question open for a while to see if any other explanations appears, but if no better answer comes forth, I'll mark this as the answer.
eirikdaude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T01:38:31.647Z
"Ossu" is like a portmanteau, much like how “squawk” is made up of squall and squeak. In this case (in regards to martial arts, especially karate), it's "osu" (to push) and "shinobu" (to endure/hide) It's not how you read the individual kanji, but rather what happens when you mesh them together. How one interprets this compound kanji derives its symbolism/philosophy. It can mean a number of things to a number of people.
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T01:43:44.273Z
Karate (especially Kyokushin Karate) requires extreme amounts of physical conditioning and guts so there exists a theory says that if you shout “osu!” as you train, you verbally condition yourself to break out of your comfort zone and push your mind and body to the limit .
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:56:33.790Z
2015-07-18T00:56:33.790Z
кяαzєя
<p>In the manga <a href="http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=43102" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Osu!! Karatebu</em></a> the word "osu" is used quite frequently, and from context I have so far assumed that it is a way for the junior members of the karate club to respond to their seniors in a general "yes, sir" way. However, I recently came across this panel which presents a quite different take on the word:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/E97Id.png" alt="Morigami Shingo on &quot;osu&quot;"></p>

<p>What is the significance of Shingo's particular dialogue about "osu?" Is it a typical philosophy of the character, karate, or a mix of the two? Why is it so different from how it is used elsewhere in the manga?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-17T23:55:22.580Z
@ton.yeung Why not? From looking at the related questions, there seems to be quite a few on similar topics? E.g. [this one](http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/6787/what-does-tsukkomi-mean?rq=1)
eirikdaude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:02:02.477Z
But this is in relation to the manga mentioned in the question? Have you got some suggestions on how I could edit it to make this more clear? @ton.yeung
eirikdaude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:03:06.017Z
If you are asking about the usage of the word, then it's off-topic and a question for [Japanese.SE](http://japanese.stackexchange.com). If you are asking about what he means in regards to the context of the manga, then it is on-topic. The line here is a bit thin in regards to Japanese language questions. Please word your question accordingly.
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:08:53.330Z
Edited the question to clarify what I ask about - if it is still off-topic, could someone please flag it for migration? @ʞɹɐzǝɹ
eirikdaude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:15:50.247Z
The scope of your question is a bit ambiguous after the edit. Are you now asking about the philosophy of the word in regards to the characters or the significance of the word in regards to the manga in general? I'd like you to clear up this point to prevent any possible misunderstandings.
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:17:58.107Z
How it is used in the manga basically - in the example shown, it seems to be pretty evident that it is about the philosophy, but is that also why they use it at other points in the manga? It doesn't really seem that way, but I may be missing something. @ʞɹɐzǝɹ
eirikdaude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:20:34.637Z
A better way to go about this question is to ask what you don't understand about the dialogue and not make any presumption on the meaning of part of it. If people have trouble understand your question then they would obviously have trouble answering it. Try to be as direct as possible.
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:37:03.510Z
@ʞɹɐzǝɹ Pretty much rewrote the question to clarify what confuses me, trying to stick to the guidelines you set - do you think it is easier to understand now?
eirikdaude
<japanese-language><osu-karatebu>
How does Shingo's use of "osu" in this particular dialogue differ from its use elsewhere?
# How does Shingo's use of "osu" in this particular dialogue differ from its use elsewhere?
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-07-17
In the manga [*Osu!! Karatebu*](http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=43102) the word "osu" is used quite frequently, and from context I have so far assumed that it is a way for the junior members of the karate club to respond to their seniors in a general "yes, sir" way. However, I recently came across this panel which presents a quite different take on the word:

![Morigami Shingo on ](https://i.sstatic.net/E97Id.png)

What is the significance of Shingo's particular dialogue about "osu?" Is it a typical philosophy of the character, karate, or a mix of the two? Why is it so different from how it is used elsewhere in the manga?
**Tags:** japanese-language osu-karatebu
> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @ton.yeung Why not? From looking at the related questions, there seems to be quite a few on similar topics? E.g. [this one](http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/6787/what-does-tsukkomi-mean?rq=1)  
> **username_0**: But this is in relation to the manga mentioned in the question? Have you got some suggestions on how I could edit it to make this more clear? @ton.yeung  
> **username_1**: If you are asking about the usage of the word, then it's off-topic and a question for [Japanese.SE](http://japanese.stackexchange.com). If you are asking about what he means in regards to the context of the manga, then it is on-topic. The line here is a bit thin in regards to Japanese language questions. Please word your question accordingly.  
> **username_0**: Edited the question to clarify what I ask about - if it is still off-topic, could someone please flag it for migration? @ʞɹɐzǝɹ  
> **username_1**: The scope of your question is a bit ambiguous after the edit. Are you now asking about the philosophy of the word in regards to the characters or the significance of the word in regards to the manga in general? I'd like you to clear up this point to prevent any possible misunderstandings.  
> **username_0**: How it is used in the manga basically - in the example shown, it seems to be pretty evident that it is about the philosophy, but is that also why they use it at other points in the manga? It doesn't really seem that way, but I may be missing something. @ʞɹɐzǝɹ  
> **username_1**: A better way to go about this question is to ask what you don't understand about the dialogue and not make any presumption on the meaning of part of it. If people have trouble understand your question then they would obviously have trouble answering it. Try to be as direct as possible.  
> **username_0**: @ʞɹɐzǝɹ Pretty much rewrote the question to clarify what confuses me, trying to stick to the guidelines you set - do you think it is easier to understand now?  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2015-07-18. Score: 1
You make an overly broad assumption with this particular word. "Ossu" here is talked about not as a salutation here, but for a deeper more philosophical meaning in general.

Ossu, is made of of two kanji:

[押]{おっ} and [忍]{す}. 押 by itself loosely translates to the action of apply pressure to something, such as pushing. 忍 means endurance or restraint.

The dialogue by the character here breaks down the literal meaning of the word and uses the two kanji as a philosophy of sorts. It's like using the word embodiment of a word as a sort of ambition or goal to live by.

In this case the spirit of Ossu is made up of these two kanji. The meaning here is to apply them meaning of those to your own life and when you use them remember their meaning so that it may carry you further, whenever or wherever you may need it, like a mantra.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2015-07-18): Thanks for your clarification! Would those two kanji be the ones translated as "oshi" and "shinobu" [here](http://www.australiankyokushin.com/osu.shtml)? And is this also the meaning the word carries when the word is used elsewhere, or does it simply carry multiple meanings, as it doesn't *seem* to carry that much meaning most of the time? Anyway, I am going to leave the question open for a while to see if any other explanations appears, but if no better answer comes forth, I'll mark this as the answer.  
> **username_1** (2015-07-18): "Ossu" is like a portmanteau, much like how “squawk” is made up of squall and squeak. In this case (in regards to martial arts, especially karate), it's "osu" (to push) and "shinobu" (to endure/hide) It's not how you read the individual kanji, but rather what happens when you mesh them together. How one interprets this compound kanji derives its symbolism/philosophy. It can mean a number of things to a number of people.  
> **username_1** (2015-07-18): Karate (especially Kyokushin Karate) requires extreme amounts of physical conditioning and guts so there exists a theory says that if you shout “osu!” as you train, you verbally condition yourself to break out of your comfort zone and push your mind and body to the limit .  
---
