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How to say Lucky in Japanese – 運(うん）がいい - あいうえおブログ「う」
日本語はこちら
Feeling Lucky…?
The Mysterious Man with a Chestnut
A Matter of your own Abilities?
Feeling Lucky…?
Has anyone found themselves thinking “I’m lucky!” lately?
In Japanese, the word “luck/lucky” can be any of the following:
“運（うん）がいい”: Read “Un ga ii”. “Un” refers to “Luck” whereas “ga ii” refers to “Is Good”.
“ついている”: Read “Tsuiteiru” a Verb.
ラッキー: Read “Rakki”.
Example:
占いによると、今週私は運（うん）がよさそうだ
Romaji: Uranai ni yoru to, konshuu watashi wa un ga yosasouda
English Translation: Based on the Fortune-teller, it seems like I’m going to have a lucky week ahead.
今日は朝からいいことばかり。なんかついているなあ。
Romaji: Kyou wa asa kara ii koto bakari. Nanka tsuite iru naa.
English Translation: Everything seems to be going well for me since this morning. Somehow, it makes me feel lucky!
The Mysterious Man with a Chestnut
As many times as I can manage, every weekend I like to go on driving trips to various spots. And, I suppose it was this past autumn when I went to a rural part of Gunma, that I ran into an old man, who, out of the blue, just gave me a chestnut.
Apparently he had picked it up in the mountains somewhere. From there, we made some small talk, and he asked things like “Where are you from?”, just on the spot. I also got a chance to ask about the area, what I should go see; a few good bits of information.
It took me by surprise, but after receiving such a nice gift, I thought to myself: “Today is my lucky day.”
Lucky Penguin in Japanese
And just like this, something good happens even when you weren’t expecting it. When you are able to easily obtain some information or an item you want, I think it would still make you feel as though you’ve got good luck, or that things are going your way regardless.
For example, even in taking a test, there are times when you feel like you might have passed because the questions were easy, or because it just so happened to line up with the topics you were good at, despite having felt like your own ability wasn’t up to it.
A Matter of your own Abilities?
In Japanese, there’s a saying that goes “Luck is a part of one’s ability.” It refers to the idea that while “luck” is supposed to revolve around chance, it is also something that you can obtain through your actions and ways of thinking. Essentially, when your luck is good, it’s not a coincidence, but a matter of your ability.
When it comes to “luck” for travelling, looking up information in guide books or online is fine, but there’s nothing better than asking the locals directly what they recommend.
So just how should you go about asking them?
What would you do if you were going to ask this sort of question?
Whenever I go on a trip, and I find a local person walking around, I say something like “Hello. I’m from Tokyo. Can you tell me a little about the area?” or “Where do you typically hang out?”
These are magic words, in a way. When you find some tasty food or wonderful place only the locals know, you’ll find yourself thinking “It’s my lucky day” too.
I also happen to operate a camper van rental business, so feel free to ask me anything on the subject!
If you take a trip to these places that are hard to get to by regular train or shinkansen, you can chat with local Japanese people, and experience a lot of what the area has to offer!
Road Trip Japan（English↓）
https://www.roadtripjapan.com/
About the Author:
Yuka Kambara
Ms. Kambara loves to travel and in addition to teaching Japanese at Coto Academy has her own tour company that rents camper vans to Tourists in Japan. You can see more at Road Trip Japan
