Benkyō-ya bukatsu-ni hagende-kudasai.

Please keep at your studies and club activities.

Situation 1: Takako receives a commendation for perfect attendance at school.

校長：　 おめでとう。これからも、この調子で、勉強や部活に 励んでください。

たか子：　 ありがとうございます。これからも、がんばります。

Kōchō: Omedetō. Korekara-mo, kono chōshi-de, benkyō-ya bukatsu-ni hagende-kudasai.

Takako: Arigatō-gozaimasu. Korekara-mo, ganbarimasu.

Principal: Congratulations! Please continue to do your best in your studies and club activities.

Mariko: Thank you so much, sir. I'll keep working hard.

Today we will introduce verbs that sound similar but have different meanings. X(noun)に励(はげ)む is an intransitive phrase that means "to work hard at X" (a formal version of Xをがんばる). Example: 練習(れんしゅう)に励む選手(せんしゅ)たちの姿(すがた)を見(み)ると、こちらも元気(げんき)になる (Looking at the players practicing hard encourages us). The masu-form of 励む is 励みます and the noun is 励み, which is used in 励みになる, as in: なかまの応援(おうえん)がとても励みになった (My friends' support really encouraged me).

Situation 2: At the office, Ms. Tamachi talks to Mr. Sere.

田町：　 三田さんたら、またふられたらしいの。セレさん、ちょっと、励ましてきたら？

Tamachi: Mita-san-tara, mata furareta-rashii-no. Sere-san, chotto hagemashite-kitara?

Tamachi: I heard that Mr. Mita has been dumped again. Why don't you go and cheer him up?

The transitive verb X(person)を励ます is used to cheer up a person (X) who is down, as above. Or it can be said to encourage X to do something they are hesitating to do, as in: 今(いま)の仕事(しごと)を続(つづ)けるよう、山田(やまだ)さんを励ました (I encouraged Mr. Yamada to continue with his present job). But, when person X is very depressed, なぐさめる (to console) is a better verb to use. The masu-form of 励ます is 励まします, and 励まし is its noun form. It is used as in: 先生(せんせい)の励ましがあったから、がんばれた (I did my best thanks to my teacher's encouragement). There are other verbs that have no relation with these words but sound similar: 禿(は)げる and 剥(は)げる, whose masu-forms are 禿げます and 剥げます. 禿げる means "to be bald" and the noun 禿げ expresses being bald or "a bald person," meant teasingly or contemptuously. 剥げる is used when the color of something is fading. めっき(coating)が剥げる describes when someone shows their true colors.

Bonus Dialogue: Continued. Mr. Sere goes to Mr. Mita. (Gochisō-sama can be used to tease someone about their happy love life.)

セレ：　 三田(みた)くん、元気(げんき)なさそうだから、 励(はげ)ましにきた。

三田：　 ありがたいねえ。じつは、昨日(きのう)、合(ごう)コンで気(き)に入(い)った子(こ)に携帯(けいたい)番号(ばんごう)を聞(き)いたけど、教(おし)えてもらえなかったんだ。

セレ：　 なんだ、そのぐらいのことで、そんなにへこんでるの？

三田：　 彼女(かのじょ)のいるセレくんには、ぼくの気持(きも)ちなんか、わからないよ。うちは、薄毛(うすげ)の家系 (かけい)だからね。親父(おやじ)みたいに禿(は)げない うちに、合コンに励んで、彼女を見(み)つけなくちゃ。

セレ：　 ぼくの国(くに)では、禿げとか濃(こ)い体毛(たいもう)は男らしくてかっこいいと言われているんだよ。ぼくの 親父も、すごく禿げているから、ぼくも三十(さんじゅう)過(す)ぎたら、きっと薄(うす)くなるだろうな。

三田：　 えっ、そうなの？　彼女、知(し)ってるの？

セレ：　 もちろん。「共(とも)白髪(しらが)」っていう言葉(ことば)があるだろう？ゆりは、「共白髪にはなれなくても、 白髪のゆりおばあちゃんは、髪(かみ)のないセレ おじいちゃんのそばに、ずっといるからね」って。

三田：　 わかった、わかった、ごちそうさま！

Sere: Mita, you look quite down, so I'm here to cheer you up.

Mita: Thanks. Actually, at a match-making party last night, I asked a woman I liked for her number. But she wouldn't tell me.

Sere: What, you're depressed just because of that?

Mita: Sere, you can't understand my feelings since you have a good girlfriend. My family has a history of baldness. I have to diligently attend match-making parties to find a girlfriend before I get bald like my dad.

Sere: In my country, baldness and hairiness are considered manly and cool. My father is bald too — terribly bald — so I think I'll start going bald in my 30s.

Mita: Oh, is that so? Does your girlfriend know that?

Sere: Of course. You know "gray-haired together [forever]"? Yuri says, "We can't be a gray-haired couple, but gray-haired old Yuri will stay with bald old Sere forever!"

Mita: OK, OK — enough of your beautiful love story!