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I know that -てみる can mean "try", but my understanding of it is that it means
"try it and see what it's like" or "give it a try". But is there a way of
expressing "try" that emphasizes that effort was made to succeed?

As an example, saying "I am trying to do Kendo" in Japanese:

> 剣道をしてみる。

sounds like I'm going for a brief "trial" to see how I like it. How would I
express that I am making a strong effort to succeed at it?
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2012-10-28T02:01:54.780
8260
2017-08-14T15:13:36.067
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question
expressions
How do you express "try"?
As a native speaker, I would say:

> 剣道をがんばっている。

or

> 剣道でがんばっている。

But, these are a little bit colloquial. When I want to be more formal, I will
say:

> 剣道に励んでいる。

or, simply,

> いっしょうけんめい剣道をしている。
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2012-10-28T03:13:11.590
8261
2012-10-28T08:59:02.097
2012-10-28T08:59:02.097
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The other answer covers "I'm trying my best at X", but "try" in English has
another meaning, I would say the most common meaning in fact, of "attempt"
[something that may not succeed or even get off the ground]. For this meaning,
what I've heard is volitional + とする, like this:

> 剣道をしようとしている。 I'm trying to do Kendo [but I'm not sure if I'll be able to
> find an instructor, etc.]
>
> 魚を取ろうとすると、消えちゃった。 When I tried to catch the fish, it disappeared.
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2017-08-14T15:13:36.067
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2017-08-14T15:13:36.067
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answer