幸い|さいわいsaiwai[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- noun, na-adjectivehappiness; blessedness; luck; fortune; felicityあなたがここに居たのは幸いでした。↗You were fortunate to be here.
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbproving fortunate; yielding positive outcome; ending well
- adverb, nounluckily; fortunatelyalso as ～に（も）or ～にして
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 幸いする（さいわいする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 幸いします（さいわいします） |
| Negative (nai) | 幸いしない（さいわいしない） |
| polite (masen) | 幸いしません（さいわいしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 幸いせず・幸いせぬ（さいわいせず・さいわいせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 幸いした（さいわいした） |
| polite (mashita) | 幸いしました（さいわいしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 幸いしなかった（さいわいしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 幸いしませんでした（さいわいしませんでした） |
| Te form | 幸いして（さいわいして） |
| Potential | 幸いできる（さいわいできる） |
| Passive | 幸いされる（さいわいされる） |
| Causative | 幸いさせる（さいわいさせる） |
| Causative passive | 幸いさせられる（さいわいさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 幸いすれば（さいわいすれば） |
| tara | 幸いしたら（さいわいしたら） |
| Volitional | 幸いしよう（さいわいしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 幸いしましょう（さいわいしましょう） |
| Imperative | 幸いしろ（さいわいしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym幸せしあわせNeutralRefers to a state of inner contentment, as in 「幸せな家庭」; 「幸い」 often works adverbially to mean 'fortunately'.
- Synonym幸運こううんNeutralMeans being lucky, as in 「幸運に恵まれる」; it stresses chance good luck rather than an outcome turning out well.
- SynonymラッキーCasualColloquial for being lucky; can stand alone as the exclamation 「ラッキー！」, with a light, casual feel.
- Synonym幸福こうふくNeutralHappiness in the sense of a fulfilled life; somewhat written and solemn, as in 「幸福な人生」.
- Synonym幸さちWrittenAn elegant word for happiness and good fortune, seen in phrases like 「幸多かれ」 or in personal names.
- Synonym運良くうんよくNeutralAdverb meaning 'luckily', as in 「運良く助かった」; close to the adverbial use of 「幸い」.
- Synonym福ふくNeutralRefers to good fortune or blessings, mostly in set phrases like 「福を招く」.
- Synonym多幸たこうWrittenWritten language, mostly in congratulatory phrases like 「ご多幸を祈る」, wishing someone happiness.
- Synonym果報かほうWrittenOriginally a Buddhist term for karmic retribution, extended to mean good luck, as in 「果報は寝て待て」; has an old-fashioned flavor.
- Synonym慶福けいふくWrittenWritten word for a joyous, congratulatory matter; found mainly in congratulatory greetings.
- Synonym清福せいふくWrittenLetter-writing term for quiet, contented happiness, used to wish the recipient well-being.
- Synonym利福りふくWrittenWritten word covering benefit and happiness; very rare — in daily speech people say 「幸せ」.
- RelatedハッピーCasualLoanword used colloquially for feeling happy; casual in tone.
- RelatedついてるCasualColloquial for being in luck, as in 「今日はついてる」.
- Related幸福感こうふくかんNeutralThe feeling of being happy; refers only to the subjective sense of happiness and never works as an adverb.
- Related恰も好しあたかもよしWrittenWritten expression meaning 'just then, as it happened', as in 「あたかもよし、雨が上がった」; has a classical literary flavor.
- Related折よくおりよくNeutralMeans the timing is just right, as in 「折よくバスが来た」; focuses on opportune timing.
- Antonym不幸ふこうNeutralThe antonym: unhappiness or misfortune; also a polite euphemism for the death of a relative.
- Antonym災難さいなんNeutralA sudden calamity, as in 「とんだ災難だ」; the opposite of the good luck that 「幸い」 conveys.
Use 「幸い」 for 'fortunately' or in phrases like 「…と幸いです」. For a happy, fulfilled life choose 「幸せ」; for chance good luck, 「幸運」 or 「運良く」; for perfect timing, 「折よく」. Casual speech favors 「ラッキー」 and 「付いてる」. The antonyms are 「不幸」 and 「災難」.
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
