What's the difference between がんばれ and 頑張って 【がんばって】?


This one stumped my Japanese friend that I was having dinner with earlier
tonight. We were talking about the fact that tomorrow is Monday and I had a
tough work week ahead. She said `ガンバレ`, I paused, and asked what was the
difference between that and `頑張{がんば}って` . She paused, then said I should ask
someone else. Like a lot of native speakers, some word choices just come
naturally and she's never examined the hows and whys.

I notice just now that when I type them in, my IME's first suggestion for
`がんばって` is in kanji, and the first suggestion for `がんばれ` is in katakana. Is
that indicative of a difference in meaning and usage, or merely convention in
writing?

Also, I do know that `がんばって` can be followed by `ください`, and I think `がんばれ`
can't. So perhaps it's just a matter of the form of the verb? Still, even if
that's the case, I'm wondering if there are different implications for
choosing one or the other.

Anyone know what the difference is?

_Please note: In accordance with[the discussion on meta regarding linguistic
terminology](https://japanese.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/378/is-this-
forum-for-japanese-learners-or-language-learners), I'm going to request that
answers be in plain English (and Japanese) so that everyone can understand.
Or, at least, please know that I wouldn't mark an answer as correct if it only
contained technical linguistic terms. Thanks for your understanding._




「がんばって」 and 「ガンバレ」 from my experience are used rather interchangeably.

They do stem from the same verb 「頑張る」: So, 「がんばって」 = 「頑張って」 while 「ガンバレ」 =
「頑張れ」.

Strictly speaking, 「頑張って」 is a request, while 「頑張れ」 is a command. Hence, 「頑張れ」
carries a slightly heavier tone as well as a bit more casual. However, it is a
very small difference. As well, the differences have been blurred by the
extensive over-use of the phrase.

The reason for 「ガンバレ」 to be typeset in katakana is because it is an emphasis
of the characters. Say you were sitting at a sports day, cheering on your
friend, this is where 「ガンバレ」 might be slightly more appropriate.

Overall, there is not a big difference between the two words. It is more of a
word choice depending on your speaking style.




「がんばって」 and 「ガンバレ」 from my experience are used rather interchangeably.

They do stem from the same verb 「頑張る」: So, 「がんばって」 = 「頑張って」 while 「ガンバレ」 =
「頑張れ」.

Strictly speaking, 「頑張って」 is a request, while 「頑張れ」 is a command. Hence, 「頑張れ」
carries a slightly heavier tone as well as a bit more casual. However, it is a
very small difference. As well, the differences have been blurred by the
extensive over-use of the phrase.

The reason for 「ガンバレ」 to be typeset in katakana is because it is an emphasis
of the characters. Say you were sitting at a sports day, cheering on your
friend, this is where 「ガンバレ」 might be slightly more appropriate.

Overall, there is not a big difference between the two words. It is more of a
word choice depending on your speaking style.

