Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| щасли́вий | ščaslývyj | |
| ща́сний | ščásnyj | |
| щасти́ти | ščastýty | imperfective, impersonal, verb |
| талани́ти | talanýty | imperfective, impersonal, verb |
To describe someone possessing good fortune, you can use various adjectives or verbs. The adjective уда́чливий is a common way to describe a person who is habitually lucky or successful. If you want to express the concept of luck itself, the noun щастя can mean both 'happiness' and 'luck' depending on the context.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun щастя literally translates to 'happiness', 'luck' or 'fortune'.
Which one should you use?
The adjective щасли́вий is most commonly used to mean 'happy' as a state of being, rather than 'lucky'. In contrast, ща́сний can mean both 'happy' and 'lucky', though it often carries a more poetic or profound connotation of happiness.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Western Ukraine, the noun Доля is a regional variation meaning 'fate'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb щасти́ти is an impersonal verb. When using it to say 'I am lucky', you must use the dative case for the person (for example, мені щасти́ть to mean 'I am lucky' or 'luck is happening to me') rather than the nominative case.
How do you pronounce it?
ščaslývyj
Did you know?
- In Ukrainian culture, saying ні пуху ні пера is the equivalent of 'break a leg'. It is used to wish someone luck by pretending to wish them bad luck to avoid jinxing the result.
- When someone says ні пуху ні пера to you, the traditional and 'lucky' response is to answer к бісу, which means 'to the devil'.
- While щастя means 'luck' or 'happiness', Ukrainians also use the word фарт to describe a sudden stroke of good luck. This term is more informal and carries a sense of an unexpected windfall.
Examples in context
- Ти – фартова дівчина!You're a lucky girl!
- Її доля була їй ласкава.Her fate was kind to her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lucky” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
