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I have this word in my native language, "Semangat", that roughly means "have a spiritful, productive, enthusiastic mood", which I usually pair that word with "Lagu" (means "song") in Google, and it will return me upbeat, joyful, and lively songs which brighten your mood, probably such as "The Magnificent Seven" or "Dancing Queen".

If I have to translate it literally, I think the closest word that "Semangat" can be translated is "Fueled and burning". When using translator, usually the translator translate the word "Semangat" into "Spirit". But "Spirit" also means soul or ghost, so when I searched for Spirit song, I usually get something like New Age-y kind of songs or horror songs, which is not what I'm looking for.

If I'm going to find an upbeat song, I can put in the search query "upbeat song". But that is a very localized translation of "Semangat" in music, which cannot be used in other cases. "Have an upbeat day!" sounds a little bit off. And "Lagu Semangat" doesn't directly equals to upbeat songs. Dancing Queen is an example of an upbeat song. But a song can be not upbeat and still can brighten your mood and makes you more lively anyway (such as that The Magnificent Seven song).

What is the word that can express "Semangat" in English daily language?

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Spirited: full of energy, enthusiasm, and determination. Also, Google translates "Semangat" as "spirit".

Alternatively:

Boisterous: (of a person, event, or behavior) noisy, energetic, and cheerful; rowdy.

Lively: full of life and energy; active and outgoing.

Passionate: showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief.

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    Oh ok. Spirited probably translates different than ghost. Thanks!
    – Chen Li Yong
    Commented Nov 7, 2017 at 6:24
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    and 'zeal' for completion
    – mcalex
    Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 9:49
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If you are looking for a "spirited song", other words and phrases to try, in addition to sharur's good suggestions, are

up-tempo | uptempo music

music that is fun to dance to

cheerful music

energetic music

feel good music

You can also use those words to describe a personality, except for feel good.

You could also say to someone,

Be cheerful.

Stay upbeat.

but it would not be quite idiomatic to say "Have a cheerful day!" or "Have an upbeat day!"

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    OOooh, "energetic", that's the word I'm searching for! I feel like it's quite on the tip of tongue, but can't quite put my hands on it. Thanks!!
    – Chen Li Yong
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 2:23
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I think if you wanted to say something like "semangat" to cheer someone on, you could say "Go for it!" or "You can do it!", as well as "Good luck!". But yeah, there is nothing as great as the great "Semangat!".

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