How to say "coincidence" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 偶然ぐうぜんna-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers coincidence as pure chance: an unexpected, unplanned overlap of events. This is the word you want for 'What a coincidence!' — running into someone, or two things happening at once by chance.
- 符合ふごうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers coincidence as correspondence: two facts, accounts, or events that match. The nuance is of separate things turning out to agree with one another; the word points to the match itself.
- 併発へいはつsuru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb, no-adjectiveRarely the word you want for coincidence as chance: it means two things, especially illnesses, occurring at the same time, one complicating the other.
- 一致いっちnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers coincidence as agreement or accord: opinions, accounts, or figures that match and are consistent. For a chance coincidence of events it is not the word you want — it is really 'agreement'.
Use 偶然 for coincidence as chance; 符合 or 一致 when coincidence means correspondence between matching facts or opinions; 併発 only for two things, especially illnesses, occurring at the same time.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
