不運|ふうんfuun[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Definitions
- noun, na-adjectivemisfortune; bad luck; ill luck; ill fortune
Conjugation
| Plain form | 不運（ふうん） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 不運です（ふうんです） |
| Negative (dewa nai) | 不運ではない（ふうんではない） |
| polite (dewa arimasen) | 不運ではありません（ふうんではありません） |
| Past (datta) | 不運だった（ふうんだった） |
| Past negative (dewa nakatta) | 不運ではなかった（ふうんではなかった） |
| Te form (de) | 不運で（ふうんで） |
| Adverbial (ni) | 不運に（ふうんに） |
| Conditional (nara) | 不運なら（ふうんなら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym不幸ふこうNeutralRefers to unhappiness, and can euphemistically mean a relative's death; 「不運」 is about chance misfortune.
- Synonym不遇ふぐうWrittenWritten/formal. Means being unrecognized despite talent, as in 「不遇の時代」; 「不運」 is simply bad luck.
- Synonym悲運ひうんWrittenWritten/formal; a sad, tragic fate — heavier than 「不運」.
- Synonym数奇すうきWrittenRead 「すき」, it mainly means refined tastes such as the tea ceremony; the ill-fated sense is usually read 「すうき」, as in 「数奇な運命」 — only that sense is close to 「不運」.
- Synonym厄やくNeutralCalamity, and also the unlucky critical years, as in 「厄払い」; 「不運」 is bad luck in general.
- Synonym不幸せふしあわせNeutralMeans being unhappy — a state of one's life; 「不運」 is about luck, whether momentary or lasting.
- Synonym薄幸はっこうWrittenWritten/formal. Often describes a woman fated to an unhappy life, as in 「薄幸の美女」; 「不運」 focuses on bad luck itself.
- SynonymアンラッキーCasualColloquial loanword for 'unlucky', light in tone; 「不運」 is more formal.
- Synonym否運ひうんWrittenWritten/formal and rare; means bad fortune. Homophonous with 「悲運」; in everyday speech 「不運」 is used.
- Synonym薄命はくめいWrittenWritten/formal; an early death or an ill-fated life, as in 「佳人薄命」; 「不運」 is about luck.
- Related気の毒きのどくNeutralExpresses feeling sorry for someone's plight, as in 「お気の毒に」; 「不運」 describes the bad luck itself.
- Related災難さいなんNeutralAn unexpected calamity, as in 「とんだ災難」; 「不運」 stresses bad luck.
- RelatedあいにくNeutralAn adverb meaning 'unfortunately', as in 「あいにく留守です」; 「不運」 is a noun or na-adjective.
- Related残念ざんねんNeutralExpresses regret or disappointment — a feeling; 「不運」 is about luck itself.
- Related遺憾いかんWrittenWritten/formal regret, common in official statements like 「遺憾に思う」; 「不運」 is bad luck.
- Related御難ごなんNeutralA polite word for calamity or trouble, sometimes jocular as in 「とんだご難だ」; 「不運」 is more neutral.
- Antonym幸運こううんNeutralThe antonym on the scale of luck: good fortune.
- Antonym幸せしあわせNeutralThe antonym on the happiness–unhappiness scale: happiness.
Use 「不運」 for bad luck or being unlucky. For unhappiness rather than luck, use 「不幸」 or 「不幸せ」; for talent going unrecognized, 「不遇」; for an ill-fated life, 「薄幸」; for an unexpected calamity, 「災難」; for 'unfortunately' in the moment, the adverb 「生憎」; for regret, 「残念」. The antonym on the luck scale is 「幸運」. The rarer written words 「否運」, 「悲運」, 「薄命」 and 「遺憾」 belong to formal prose.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
