For Elementary School Students: Four-Character Idioms You Can Use for New Year’s Resolutions — How to Set Cool Goals!
When welcoming the New Year, why not express your goals with four-character idioms? In this article, we’ve gathered yojijukugo that are easy for elementary school students to use as New Year’s resolutions.
From isshoukenmei (giving your all) to shoshi-kantetsu (sticking to your original intention), these are words that are easy for kids to remember and have cool meanings.
They’re perfect for kakizome calligraphy or class presentations! Each idiom’s meaning is explained in a simple way, so while talking with your child about “What kind of year do you want this to be?”, try choosing a favorite phrase together.
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[For Elementary Schoolers] Four-character idioms you can use for New Year’s resolutions: How to set cool goals! (1–10)
Stay true to your original intention.
Shoshi-Kantetsu is a four-character idiom meaning to carry out the goals or intentions you first set all the way to the end.
Adopting it as a New Year’s resolution can change your daily mindset.
For example, if you decide, in studies or sports, “This is what I’ll work hard on this year,” it’s important to keep at it steadily without giving up halfway.
Even if things don’t go well along the way, recalling your original resolve will help you find the will to try again.
Accumulating small efforts day by day is the practice of Shoshi-Kantetsu, and it is a phrase that fosters the strength to achieve your goals.
Late bloomer
“Taiki-bansei” (literally, “a great vessel matures late”) is a four-character idiom meaning that even if talent or ability doesn’t show right away, it will grow over time and eventually blossom greatly.
If you adopt it as a New Year’s resolution, it helps you keep striving without rushing, even when results don’t come immediately.
Whether it’s studying, sports, art, or music—whatever you’re challenging yourself with—even if things don’t go well at first, daily efforts accumulate and lead to significant achievements in the future.
It’s a phrase that teaches the importance of continuing small efforts and ingenuity, fostering a mindset that enjoys your growth over the long run.
It’s a practical resolution that helps you stay aware of the value of developing your abilities from a long-term perspective.
Learning new things by revisiting the old
Onko-chishin is a four-character idiom meaning to study the past thoroughly and use it as a foundation to create something new.
By cultivating the habit of reflecting on what you have learned and experienced, you can avoid repeating mistakes and apply the lessons to new challenges.
For example, if you recall what didn’t go well in your studies or sports and consider how to improve, you’ll be able to stay calm and act appropriately when faced with a similar situation next time.
Keeping a journal or summarizing what you’ve learned are also ways to practice onko-chishin.
By adopting this mindset—valuing the past and putting it to use for the future—as a New Year’s resolution, you can develop the ability to live each day with greater intention.
[For Elementary School Students] Four-character idioms you can use for New Year’s resolutions: How to set cool goals! (11–20)
every move; every action
“Ikkyō-ichidō” (literally, “every single move”) is a four-character idiom that means paying attention to one’s actions and taking responsibility for them.
By being mindful even of small behaviors—such as how you speak and act at school or at home, and how you interact with friends—you can deepen trust with those around you.
In studying or sports, focusing carefully on each individual movement also makes it easier to achieve results.
Another appeal is that by being conscious of the small actions you take every day, you can build good habits and feel your own growth.
Keeping this phrase in mind helps cultivate the ability to live a careful and fulfilling life.
A sudden resolve; making a firm decision (to start afresh).
Ichinen-hokki is a four-character idiom meaning to tackle something with firm resolve.
Making it a New Year’s resolution can be the push you need to boldly take on things you haven’t managed before or challenges you want to try.
For example, by keeping this phrase in mind for goals like studying a difficult subject or practicing a new skill, you’ll be more likely to persevere without giving up.
Facing what you’ve decided with renewed determination and full commitment leads to confidence and a sense of achievement.
It’s an encouraging phrase that helps turn resolve into action and fosters the drive to approach each day with enthusiasm.
single-minded devotion
“Ichisen-shin” (Ichiisen-shin) is a four-character idiom meaning to concentrate one’s mind on a single task.
It fosters the mindset of focusing on goals you’ve set for yourself—whether in studying, sports, or lessons.
By making plans and putting in steady effort day by day, and by facing what you’re not good at, you can cultivate concentration and perseverance.
The experience of seeing one thing through without being swayed by outside temptations leads to confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
By keeping this saying in mind, you can build the ability to work steadily toward your goals and enjoy a fulfilling year.
with all one’s might
When you set out to do something, the determination to work hard and see it through to the end is important.
So how about adopting the four-character idiom “isshōkenmei” as your New Year’s resolution? The term originates from “isshokenmei,” which referred to samurai risking their lives to protect their fief, their very means of livelihood.
Today, it’s widely used with the meaning of “putting one’s life on the line.” While life-or-death situations are rare in modern times, it’s a phrase that conveys a strong will to accomplish something—making it well-suited as a New Year’s resolution.
