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[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpTO2.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpTO2.jpg)

What kind of meaning does "なきゃともがいてる" convey in both of the sentences in one
of the panel above?
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2021-07-12T06:36:50.490
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2021-07-13T03:23:20.520
2021-07-13T03:23:20.520
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question
parsing contractions quotes
What does なきゃともがいてる mean in this context?
Here

  * なきゃ＝なければ(ならない) : must
  * と makes a clause like と言う
  * もがいている : is struggling

A simple way of understanding this would be to add '思って' after 'と'. Thus

  * 生きなきゃともがいている = 生きなければならないと思ってもがいている

struggling because he thinks he must live

  * 前に進まなきゃともがいている

struggling because he thinks he must go forward.

Another way is to take this construction as a mix of

  * ・・・しようともがく: struggle / try hard to [do], and
  * なきゃ : 'must', adding the sense of duty or obligation

so the above sentences mean 'telling himself to live on' / 'trying to persuade
himself to go forward'.

The both ways shouldn't make a lot of difference, but I suppose the latter is
a better way to understand them (based on my understanding of the English
version.)

**A side note:**

なきゃ does not always mean 'must'. See e.g. [this
post.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/30194/how-to-
use-%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8D%E3%82%83-correctly) Unlike your example, such なきゃ (as
in the title of the post) can be replaced only by なければ, and not by なければならない.
(Both can replace なきゃ in your example)
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2021-07-12T11:31:34.760
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answer