Both 勇気 and 勇 are nouns and mean courage. Does 気 give it a different twist?

Couldn't you say 力と勇 instead of 力と勇気? (meaning power and courage)
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2020-09-04T22:57:03.000
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2020-09-06T06:01:50.327
2020-09-04T23:41:28.820
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meaning
Contribution of 気 to the meaning, for example, 勇気 and 勇
You usually **cannot** say 力と勇 instead of 力と勇気. 勇気 is the default word for
'courage'. This 気 on its own means something like 'trait' or 'spirit', and it
is true that it adds little to the meaning. Still, it's important because ゆう
is usually too short as a word, and there are many other kanji whose on-
reading is ゆう (e.g., 有 existence, 友 friend, 遊 play, 融 melt). In general, the
majority of Sino-Japanese words (kango) are made of two or more kanji with on-
readings. You have to say ゆうじん (友人) instead of ゆう even though 友 means 'friend'
by itself, and you have to say ゆうかい (融解) instead of ゆう even though 融 means
'melt' by itself. Please see the following questions, too.

  * [How many unique on'yomi are there?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/24376/5010)
  * [What's the difference between 重責 and 責任?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/53781/5010)

勇 is occasionally used as a standalone word in literary or theatrical
contexts. For example, a knight in a fantasy novel may say 戦場にて我が勇を示さん ("I
shall show my courage on the battlefield!"). But this is rather exceptional,
and you should use 勇気 most of the time.
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2020-09-05T01:21:55.383
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2020-09-06T06:01:50.327
2020-09-06T06:01:50.327
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answer