How to Say "Good Fortune" in Japanese

幸運

kōun[ko̞ːɯ̟̃ɴ]

The Japanese phrase for "good fortune" is 幸運 (kōun).

幸運 is a noun used to describe the concept of good fortune or luck.

Meaning: Translations (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the kanji 幸 (happiness/luck) and 運 (fate/luck/fortune).

While 幸運 is a formal noun, the phrase 運がいい is a much more common way to say "to be lucky" in everyday conversation.

By adding the particle に and the adverbial marker も to the noun, you create the adverbial form 幸運にも, which means "fortunately" or "by good fortune".

kōun

The kanji for 'luck' in 幸運, which is 運, also refers to the physical movement or transportation of goods. This implies that your 'fortune' is something that travels or flows through your life.
If you want to say someone has 'great luck', you might say they have 運が強い (un ga tsuyoi), which literally translates to having 'strong luck'.
To change their 'luck' or 運, some Japanese people visit shrines to perform お祓い (oharai), a ritual purification to sweep away bad fortune.

僕は幸運にも成功した。
I had the good fortune to succeed.
This sentence is useful for showing how to use 幸運 with an adverbial form.
Tatoeba #81907 by bunbuku, translation #257378 by CK
彼女は隣の人の幸運を妬んでいた。
She was jealous of her neighbor's good fortune.
This sentence shows how to use 幸運 to refer to someone's luck.
Tatoeba #86246 by arnab, translation #317465 by CK
トムはどうやら私の幸運をうらやんでいるようだ。
Tom seems envious of my good fortune.
This sentence demonstrates using 幸運 to express someone's envy of luck.
Tatoeba #11528236 by bunbuku, translation #9826187 by CM
頑張ってね！きっと合格するよ。
Do your best! You'll definitely pass the interview.

Yota and Misaki are talking about winning a lottery ticket.

陽太 Yota

見て！幸運なことに、当たりを引いたよ。
Mite! Kōun na koto ni, atari o hiita yo.
Look! Luckily, I drew a winning ticket.
美咲 Misaki

すごい！本当に幸運だね、陽太。
Sugoi! Hontō ni kōun da ne, Yōta.
Amazing! You are really lucky, Yota.
陽太 Yota

うん。これは幸運な出来事だったと思う。
Un. Kore wa kōun na dekigoto datta to omou.
Yeah. I think this was a stroke of good fortune.
美咲 Misaki

お祝いに何か美味しいものを食べに行こう。
Oiwai ni nanika oishii mono o tabe ni ikō.
Let's go eat something delicious to celebrate.

Sources

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