Japanese word

災難

Pronunciation

Romajisainan

Meaning

  • nounmisfortune

Example

旅行中に災難に遭いました。ryo kō chū ni sai nan ni a i ma shi ta

I encountered misfortune while traveling.

Illustration for 災難 (misfortune)

More examples

突然の災難にも、家族が助けてくれました。totsu zen no sai nan ni mo ka zoku ga tasu ke te ku re ma shi ta

Even when sudden misfortune struck, my family helped me.

Core concept

Describes an unexpected harmful event that suddenly brings trouble or suffering to someone.

Common phrases

  • 災難に遭うsai nan ni a u

    encounter misfortune

  • 災難を免れるsai nan o manuga re ru

    escape misfortune

  • 災難に見舞われるsai nan ni mi ma wa re ru

    be struck by misfortune

Similar words

災いwazawai: A harmful event or condition that brings trouble or suffering.
不幸fukō: A bad event or situation that causes suffering or loss.
不運fuun: A lack of good luck that leads to an unwanted result or event.
災害saigai: A damaging event, often natural or large in scale, that affects people or places.

Definition in Japanese

思いがけず身に降りかかる不幸な出来事。omo i ga ke zu mi ni fu ri ka ka ru fu kō na de ki goto

Word origin

The compound 災難 (sainan) is formed from 災 (sai, "calamity") and 難 (nan, "difficulty"), expressing misfortune or a calamity.

Usage tips

  • Unlike the broad English word disaster, 災難 (sainan) can describe a smaller personal setback or an unlucky event in daily life.

Other meanings

  • disasternoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word