Japanese Conversation · Level 126
60 words
Japanese word
縁起
Pronunciation
Romajiengi
Meaning
- nounomen
Example
その鳥は縁起がいいです。so no tori wa en gi ga i i de su
That bird is a good omen.
More examples
引っ越しの日に雨が降ると、母は縁起が悪いと言います。hi kko shi no hi ni ame ga fu ru to haha wa en gi ga waru i to i i ma su
When it rains on moving day, my mother says it is a bad omen.
Core concept
It treats what happens now as a sign of how fortune may unfold, especially when the sign is favorable.
Common phrases
縁起がいいen gi ga i i
be a good omen
縁起が悪いen gi ga waru i
be a bad omen
縁起を担ぐen gi o katsu gu
be superstitious
Similar words
吉兆kitchō: A sign regarded as showing that good fortune or a favorable event will come.
前兆zenchō: A sign that appears before a future event or change.
兆しkizashi: An early sign that a change or event is beginning to appear.
Definition in Japanese
ある物事からうかがわれる、将来の運勢のよしあし。また、その判断のもととなる兆し。a ru mono goto ka ra u ka ga wa re ru shō rai no un sei no yo shi a shi ma ta so no han dan no mo to to na ru kiza shi
Word origin
The Buddhist term 縁起 (engi, "dependent arising") comes from 縁 (en, "connection") and 起 (ki, "arise"), while Japanese usage later gave it the sense of an omen.
Usage tips
- Unlike the English word omen, Japanese 縁起 (engi) can refer not only to a sign but also to the favorable quality associated with it, as in 縁起がいい (engi ga ii).
Other meanings
- auspiciousnessnoun