災い・禍・殃|わざわいwazawai[0]heiban (flat)

1. noundisaster; calamity; misfortune; trouble; woes
   災わざわいを転てんじて福ふくとしなさい。↗

   Turn your misfortune to account.

• Synonym難なんWrittenWritten single character for disaster or hardship, also a flaw, as in 「難を逃れる」. 災い leans toward calamity itself and is typical of phrases like 「口は災いの元」.
• Synonym災難さいなんNeutralCalamity that strikes unexpectedly; bad luck. Common in speech. 災い is the broader term for misfortune and appears in sayings like 「災い転じて福となす」.
• Synonym凶きょうWrittenWritten word for ill omens or the 'bad luck' drawn on omikuji fortunes. 災い refers to concrete calamities.
• Synonym厄やくNeutralBad luck, especially the unlucky years dealt with in rites like 「厄払い」. 災い is broader.
• Synonym災禍さいかWrittenWritten word for calamities such as wind-and-flood damage or accidents. 災い is the more everyday choice.
• Synonym災厄さいやくWrittenWritten word for calamity or scourge. 災い is the more common term.
• Synonym厄災やくさいWrittenWritten word for unexpected misfortune. 災い is the more common term.
• Related災害さいがいNeutralDisasters caused by typhoons, earthquakes, epidemics and the like. 災い covers misfortune of any kind, not just such disasters.
• Related惨禍さんかWrittenWritten word for a horrific calamity, as in 「戦争の惨禍」. 災い is broader.
• Related惨事さんじNeutralA tragedy or serious accident. 災い refers to the calamity itself.
• Related悲劇ひげきNeutralA tragedy, whether on stage or in real life. 災い is the general word for calamity.
• Related不幸ふこうNeutralUnhappiness or misfortune; also a death in the family. 災い is a calamity that befalls you.
• RelatedカタストロフィーWrittenWritten loanword for a drastic upheaval or tragic collapse — a catastrophe. 災い is broader.
• Related危難きなんWrittenWritten word for peril — disaster that threatens life itself. 災い is broader.
• Related変災へんさいWrittenWritten word for an unexpected accident or disaster. 災い is the more common term.
• Related凶変きょうへんWrittenWritten word for an ominous turn of events such as an assassination. 災い is broader.
• Related大厄たいやくWrittenWritten word for a great calamity, or the peak unlucky year in the yakudoshi cycle. 災い is an ordinary word for misfortune.
• Related御難ごなんWrittenPolite way of saying 「災難、困難」, as in 「とんだご難でしたね」. 災い is a plain, general word for calamity.
• Related奇禍きかWrittenWritten word for an unforeseen calamity that strikes out of the blue. 災い is the more common term.
• Antonym福ふくNeutralAntonym: good fortune and happiness, the opposite of 災い, as in 「災い転じて福となす」.

Use 「災い」 for calamity or misfortune in general, as in 「口は災いの元」. Pick 「災難」 for an unexpected stroke of bad luck, 「災害」 for typhoons, earthquakes and other disasters, 「惨事」 for a horrible accident or tragedy, and 「厄」 for bad luck or unlucky years. Most of the others (難, 災禍, 災厄, 惨禍, 危難 and the like) are written-style alternatives; 「不幸」 is unhappiness or a death in the family, and 「福」 is the antonym.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. わざわい。困難こんなんな問題もんだい。