Japanese word

不運

Pronunciation

Romajifuun

Meaning

  • nounbad luck

Example

旅行中に不運が続きました。ryo kō chū ni fu un ga tsuzu ki ma shi ta

Bad luck continued during the trip.

Illustration for 不運 (bad luck)

More examples

不運のせいにして、努力をやめてはいけません。fu un no se i ni shi te do ryoku o ya me te wa i ke ma se n

You must not use bad luck as an excuse to stop trying.

Core concept

Circumstances depart from the favorable course that a person hopes for.

Common phrases

  • 不運を招くfu un o mane ku

    bring bad luck

  • 不運が重なるfu un ga kasa na ru

    bad luck piles up

Similar words

不幸fukō: Serious misfortune that leaves a person in hardship or distress.
災難sainan: An unfortunate occurrence that brings substantial difficulty or harm.
災いwazawai: A harmful event or circumstance that creates trouble.

Definition in Japanese

運に恵まれず、思いどおりにならないこと。un ni megu ma re zu omo i dō ri ni na ra na i ko to

Word origin

不 (fu, "not") and 運 (un, "fortune") form 不運 (fūn), with the negative element marking fortune as unfavorable.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase bad luck commonly appears with verbs such as have, bring, and run into, which helps distinguish it from the adjective unlucky.

Opposites

Word lists with this word