Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 幸運 | kōun | [ko̞ːɯ̟̃ɴ] (narrow) |
| 運のよい | un no yoi | |
| ラッキー | rakkī | [ɾa̠k̚ʲkʲiː] (narrow) |
The term is used to describe people who possess good fortune. While the noun 幸運 refers to 'good fortune', the colloquial loanword ラッキー is frequently used as an exclamation on its own to mean 'Lucky me!' or 'How lucky!' when something positive occurs.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 幸運 is composed of 幸, meaning happiness or fortune and 運, meaning luck or fate.
Which one should you use?
幸運 is a formal noun meaning 'good fortune', whereas ラッキー is a casual loanword used as an adjective in daily conversation. The phrase 運のよい literally means 'luck-is-good' and functions specifically as an adjective to describe a person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
幸運 is a formal term. ラッキー is the most common way to express 'lucky' in casual, spoken Japanese and is considered colloquial.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the concept of being lucky as a predicate in a sentence, you use the phrase 運がいい (un ga ii) to say someone 'is lucky'.
How do you pronounce it?
kōun
Did you know?
- The word 運 used in 幸運 is the same character used for 'transport' or 'carry' in words like 運送 (shipping). This reflects an ancient belief that luck is something that is carried or moved by the gods.
- Japanese has a specific term, 運が尽きる (un ga tsukiru), which means 'one's luck has run out'. This treats luck as a finite resource that can be physically exhausted.
- In Japanese gambling or gaming culture, people may use ラッキー to describe a 'lucky break', but they use the term 強運 (kyōun) to describe someone with 'strong luck' that can overcome any obstacle.
Examples in context
- ラッキーだったと思う。I've been lucky, I think.This example shows how to express a personal feeling of being lucky using ラッキー.Tatoeba #11394451 by small_snow, translation #8401641 by CK
- 君たち、ラッキーだなあ！You're lucky.This example demonstrates an exclamation of luck toward others using ラッキー.Tatoeba #3360036 by arnab, translation #1553288 by CK
- トムってラッキーだと思う。I think Tom is lucky.This example is useful for expressing an opinion that someone else is lucky using ラッキー.Tatoeba #3594832 by arnab, translation #3183886 by CK
- 彼は幸運な人生を送っています。He leads a lucky life.
- 彼女は福のある人生を歩んでいます。She lives a fortunate life.
- 今日、テストで満点を取れた！運がいいね。I got a perfect score on today's test! I'm lucky, huh?
- 雨が降らなかったから、ラッキーだった。It didn't rain, so it was lucky.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about a friend who won a prize.
- 陽太 Yota彼は本当に幸運だね。Kare wa hontou ni kouun da ne.He is truly lucky.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、大きな賞品が当たったもんね。Un, ookina shouhin ga atatta mon ne.Yeah, he won a big prize, after all.
- 陽太 Yota幸運な人もいるものだ。Kouun na hito mo iru mono da.Some people are just lucky.
- 陽葵 Himari本当におめでとうって伝えたいね。Hontou ni omedetou tte tsutaetai ne.I really want to tell him congratulations.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lucky” translations and entries 幸運, ラッキー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
