Japanese Conversation · Level 110
60 words
Japanese word
運命
Pronunciation
Romajiunmei
Meaning
- nounfate
Example
私は運命を信じます。watashi wa un mei o shin ji ma su
I believe in fate.
More examples
私は、人生には運命だけでなく自分の選択も関わると思います。watashi wa jin sei ni wa un mei da ke de na ku ji bun no sen taku mo kaka wa ru to omo i ma su
I think that our choices, not just fate, also shape our lives.
Core concept
Describes the course of life and events as shaped by forces beyond a person's control.
Common phrases
運命を信じるun mei o shin ji ru
believe in fate
運命のいたずらun mei no i ta zu ra
a twist of fate
運命を受け入れるun mei o u ke i re ru
accept one's fate
Similar words
宿命shukumei: An unavoidable course of life believed to be fixed in advance.
定めsadame: A person's allotted fate, viewed as set and unavoidable.
Definition in Japanese
人の人生や物事の成り行きを左右する、あらかじめ定められた力や巡り合わせ。hito no jin sei ya mono goto no na ri yu ki o sa yū su ru a ra ka ji me sada me ra re ta chikara ya megu ri a wa se
Word origin
運 (un, "fortune") and 命 (mei, "life") combine in 運命 (unmei) to express a life course believed to be set in advance.
Usage tips
- In everyday English, people often say "It was fate" when an unexpected meeting or event seems destined rather than planned.
Opposites
- 自由意志jiyūishifree willnoun
Related words
- 運命的unmeitekifatefulna-adjective
- 運命づけるunmeizukerudestineverb