運|うんun[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounfortune; luck; chance
   遅おそかれ早はやかれ、彼かれの運うんは尽つきるだろう。↗

   Sooner or later, his luck will run out.

• Synonym幸運こううんNeutralRefers only to good luck, as in 「幸運を祈る」; 「運」 is neutral and covers both good and bad luck, as in 「運が悪い」.
• Synonym運命うんめいNeutralMeans fate and the way one's future unfolds, as in 「運命の出会い」; stresses great currents beyond human control. 「運」 is about good or bad luck.
• Synonym運勢うんせいNeutralRefers to a person's fortune at a given time, as in 「今日の運勢」; mostly used in horoscopes and fortune-telling. 「運」 has much wider use.
• Synonym運気うんきNeutralRefers to the rise and fall of a person's fortune, as in 「運気が上がる」; common in feng shui and luck-boosting talk. 「運」 is more general.
• RelatedラッキーCasualColloquial loanword for being lucky, also used as an exclamation: 「ラッキー！」. 「運」 is a noun that covers both good and bad luck.
• Related定めさだめWrittenMeans a fate that is fixed or destined, and also rules or provisions, as in 「人の定め」. 「運」 is about chance luck.
• Related宿命しゅくめいNeutralFate fixed before birth and impossible to change, as in 「宿命のライバル」; carries a heavy, inescapable feel. 「運」 is about chance.
• Related命運めいうんWrittenFate that hangs on survival or success, as in 「国の命運を握る」; has an urgent, critical tone. 「運」 means luck in the ordinary sense.
• Related因縁いんねんNeutralCovers karmic ties from a past life, but also entangled relationships or picking a quarrel, as in 「因縁をつける」. 「運」 is only about luck.
• Related幸さちWrittenAn elegant written word for happiness and good fortune, often in wishes like 「幸多かれ」. 「運」 covers both good and bad luck.
• Related天命てんめいWrittenMeans heaven's decree or will, and also one's allotted lifespan, as in 「天命を待つ」; strongly fatalistic. 「運」 is chance luck.
• Related僥倖ぎょうこうWrittenWritten word for unexpected good luck or a stroke of fortune, as in 「僥倖に恵まれる」. 「運」 makes no good/bad distinction and is the everyday word.
• Related回り合わせまわりあわせWrittenRefers to the turns of fortune that come one's way naturally; a synonym of 「巡り合わせ」 but less common. 「運」 is more general and more colloquial.
• Related天運てんうんWrittenWritten word for the fortune heaven bestows, with a heavenly-will flavor; also an astronomy term. In everyday speech, just say 「運」.
• Related宿世しゅくせWrittenBuddhist term for one's previous existence, and by extension a fate fixed in a past life; rare today. Use 「運命」 for fate and 「運」 for luck.
• Related宿運しゅくうんWrittenRare written word for the fate one is born with and cannot change. In everyday speech, use 「宿命」 or 「運命」.
• Related巡り合わせめぐりあわせNeutralRefers to the chance meetings and coincidences life brings, as in 「不思議な巡り合わせ」. 「運」 focuses on whether luck is good or bad.
• Related果報かほうWrittenMostly seen in 「果報者」 and 「果報は寝て待て」; means good fortune or blessedness, and in Buddhism the karmic retribution of past deeds.
• Related宿縁しゅくえんWrittenWritten word for a bond carried over from a past life, as in 「宿縁で結ばれる」; centers on the karma between people. 「運」 is only about luck.
• Antonym不運ふうんNeutralThe antonym: bad luck or misfortune, the opposite of 「幸運」; roughly equivalent to saying 「運が悪い」.

Use 「運」 as the default word for luck, good or bad. For good luck say 「幸運」, or colloquial 「ラッキー」. For a destined fate beyond one's control, use 「運命」 or 「宿命」. For one's fortune in horoscopes or feng shui, use 「運勢」 or 「運気」. For chance meetings and coincidences, use 「巡り合わせ」. For bad luck, use 「不運」. The rest are rarer written or Buddhist terms for fate, heaven's will, or karmic bonds.

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

1. （ウン）人知じんちが及およぶところではない偶然ぐうぜんのめぐり合あわせ。