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Kanji for Courage
The kanji most commonly used for "Courage" are 勇、胆.
勇
Kanji that mean Courage
勇 is courage in the plain sense: bravery, valour, the willingness to act. It is the character in 勇気 (courage) and 勇敢 (brave), and it is common in given names such as Isamu and Yū.
敢 is the daring edge of courage — venturing, presuming to act despite risk. 胆 is literally the gallbladder, which Japanese treats as the seat of nerve, giving 大胆 (bold) and 胆力 (nerve, pluck).
Beware the near-misses. 怯 and 臆 look like they belong to this family and do not: both mean timid or cowardly, the opposite of what you want.
Words using Courage kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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勇気
ゆうき
courage; bravery; valour
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大胆
だいたん
bold; daring; audacious
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勇退
ゆうたい
retiring voluntarily; resigning one's post (to make way for others); stepping down
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落胆
らくたん
discouragement; despondency; dejection
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義勇
ぎゆう
heroism; loyalty and courage
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胆石
たんせき
gallstone
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勇者
ゆうしゃ
hero; the brave; man of valour (valor)
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勇ましい
いさましい
brave; valiant; gallant
Before you use Courage kanji
勇 is the character for courage and is safe to use. Do not substitute 怯 or 臆 — they appear in dictionary lists near "courage" only because their definitions contain the phrase "lacking courage", and both mean cowardly.