Luck in Different Languages
Discover 'Luck' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The concept of 'luck' has fascinated humans for centuries, cutting across cultures and languages. It signifies a force or event that brings about positive or negative outcomes without any apparent cause or reason. The significance of luck varies across cultures, with some attributing their successes and failures to it, while others view it as merely a superstition.
Throughout history, luck has been personified in various forms, such as gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures. In ancient Rome, for instance, Luck was represented by the goddess Fortuna, who was believed to hold the wheel of fortune that determined the fate of individuals. Similarly, in ancient Greece, the god Hermes was associated with luck and good fortune.
Understanding the translation of luck in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and approach this concept. For instance, in Spanish, luck is 'suerte,' while in French, it's 'chance.' In Mandarin, luck is 'fu' or 'bai fu,' and in Japanese, it's 'kouun' or 'unsei.'
Join us as we explore the various translations of luck in different languages and cultures, shedding light on the fascinating ways in which this concept has been interpreted and integrated into human societies.
Luck
Luck in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geluk | ||
| The word "geluk" also means "happiness" in Dutch and German. | |||
| Amharic | ዕድል | ||
| The word "ዕድል" comes from the Geez word "ዕደለ", meaning "to happen, to occur, or to befall." | |||
| Hausa | sa'a | ||
| The word "sa'a" in Hausa has an alternate meaning of "time" or "occasion." | |||
| Igbo | chioma | ||
| In Igbo, the word "chioma" also refers to a person's hair or a lion's mane. | |||
| Malagasy | vintana | ||
| "Vintana," meaning "luck," is related to the word "vintana," meaning "window." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwayi | ||
| The Chichewa word 'mwayi' also holds the meaning of 'chance,' 'opportunity,' or 'possibility.' | |||
| Shona | rombo rakanaka | ||
| The word "rakanaka" in Shona has an etymology rooted in "kana" and "kana-kana" meaning "shining" or ""beautiful". | |||
| Somali | nasiib | ||
| Nasiib (luck) can refer to one's destiny or portion in life. | |||
| Sesotho | mahlohonolo | ||
| The term "mahlohonolo" is also used colloquially to refer to someone who is particularly fortunate or blessed. | |||
| Swahili | bahati | ||
| "Bahati" can also refer to "blessing" or "fortune" | |||
| Xhosa | amathamsanqa | ||
| In addition to "luck", "amathamsanqa" in Xhosa can also refer to the "lucky charms" that are believed to attract good luck. | |||
| Yoruba | orire | ||
| Orire can also mean "to emerge", "to begin", or "to be born" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | inhlanhla | ||
| In Zulu, "inhlanhla" also refers to the umhlanhla, a tree with sacred or medicinal properties. | |||
| Bambara | kunna | ||
| Ewe | dzɔgbenyuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amahirwe | ||
| Lingala | chance | ||
| Luganda | omukisa | ||
| Sepedi | mahlatse | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ti pa | ||
Luck in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حظ | ||
| "حظ" comes from the root “to possess”, thus signifying a share or portion of something, so it can also mean a lot or inheritance, a wife’s dowry or portion, or a part of the inheritance of a son, a daughter, or a brother, or a part of a share of booty. | |||
| Hebrew | מַזָל | ||
| In Hebrew, the word "מַזָל" (mazal) can also refer to a person's astrological constellation or zodiac sign, aligning with the Babylonian concept of celestial influences on human affairs. | |||
| Pashto | بخت | ||
| The word "بخت" can also mean "face" or "countenance" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | حظ | ||
| "حظ" comes from the root “to possess”, thus signifying a share or portion of something, so it can also mean a lot or inheritance, a wife’s dowry or portion, or a part of the inheritance of a son, a daughter, or a brother, or a part of a share of booty. | |||
Luck in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fat | ||
| “Fat” has an alternate meaning of “lot” or “fate” and could originate from the Proto-Indo-European word “bhags,” meaning “dividing, or distribution.” | |||
| Basque | zortea | ||
| The Basque word "zortea" originally meant "portion," and is related to the word "zori," meaning "fate or destiny." | |||
| Catalan | sort | ||
| In Catalan, the noun "sort" can also mean "fate", "kind", or "type". | |||
| Croatian | sreća | ||
| The word "sreća" is derived from Proto-Slavonic word *sъręka meaning "success" or "victory". | |||
| Danish | held | ||
| The word "held" in Danish originally meant "good fortune" or "luck," but its meaning has shifted over time to encompass a broader range of positive outcomes. | |||
| Dutch | geluk | ||
| The word "geluk" in Dutch can also refer to "happiness" or "bliss". | |||
| English | luck | ||
| "Luck" originally meant "a favorable turn of events" or "a portion of something allotted to someone." | |||
| French | la chance | ||
| The word "la chance" in French derives from the Latin word "cadentia," meaning "that which falls." | |||
| Frisian | gelok | ||
| "Gelok is possibly a loanword from the Latin word 'jocus' meaning 'joke' and therefore related to the English word 'joke'." | |||
| Galician | sorte | ||
| "Sorte" in Galician comes from the Latin "sors," meaning "lot" as drawn or cast for divination or fortune-telling. | |||
| German | glück | ||
| The word "Glück" in German has also been used historically to refer to fortune, prosperity, and well-being. | |||
| Icelandic | heppni | ||
| The word "heppni" comes from the Old Norse word "happ", which also means "chance" or "good fortune". | |||
| Irish | ádh | ||
| The word "ádh" also means "nature" or "existence" in Irish, deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂wes- "to be". | |||
| Italian | fortuna | ||
| The Latin term 'fortuna' means both 'luck' and 'strength', thus signifying the two sides of the same coin in Roman thought. | |||
| Luxembourgish | gléck | ||
| "Gléck" is also used in Luxembourgish to describe a state of well-being or happiness. | |||
| Maltese | fortuna | ||
| The Maltese word 'fortuna' is derived from the Latin 'fortuna', meaning 'fate, destiny', and 'chance, luck' in Italian. | |||
| Norwegian | flaks | ||
| In Norwegian, flaks can also mean "a piece of fish" or "a flat piece of land near the sea" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sorte | ||
| "Sorte" in Portuguese comes from Latin word "sors" meaning "lot", "fate" or "prophecy". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fortan | ||
| The word 'fortan' derives from the Proto-Celtic word '*portos', meaning 'fate' or 'destiny'. | |||
| Spanish | suerte | ||
| In Spanish, "suerte" not only signifies luck, but may also refer to the strands of silk in a spider's web. | |||
| Swedish | tur | ||
| The word "tur" in Swedish can also mean "row" or "bull". | |||
| Welsh | lwc | ||
| The Welsh word 'lwc' may derive from the Proto-Celtic root '*lug-' meaning 'to shine' and also relates to the name of the deity known in Gaelic languages as 'Lugh'. | |||
Luck in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шанцаванне | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "шанцаванне" can also refer specifically to "a sudden stroke of good luck." | |||
| Bosnian | sreća | ||
| The word "sreća" can also mean "happiness" or "fortune" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | късмет | ||
| "Късмет" is also a term used for "fortune telling" and "lottery ticket". | |||
| Czech | štěstí | ||
| The word "štěstí" comes from the Czech word "sťast" meaning "happy", which in turn comes from the Proto-Slavic word "sъčęstije", meaning "happiness" or "good fortune". | |||
| Estonian | õnne | ||
| The word "õnne" can also refer to a good fortune or a lucky break. | |||
| Finnish | onnea | ||
| 'Onnea' in Finnish is not just luck, it can also mean success or prosperity. | |||
| Hungarian | szerencse | ||
| "Szerencse" ultimately comes from the Proto-Turkic word *yär, meaning "happiness" and "favor." | |||
| Latvian | veiksmi | ||
| The word "veiksmi" is related to "veikt," meaning "to do" or "to accomplish". Its root word is "veik," meaning "action" or "deed." | |||
| Lithuanian | sėkmė | ||
| “Sėkmė” likely derives from the Slavic “suti”, meaning “to meet”, suggesting an encounter with good fortune. | |||
| Macedonian | среќа | ||
| The word "среќа" in Macedonian is related to the Proto-Slavic word "sъręka", meaning "fate" or "destiny". | |||
| Polish | szczęście | ||
| "Szczęście" derives from a verb meaning "to find," indicating luckiness as a result of fortune rather than skill. | |||
| Romanian | noroc | ||
| "Noroc" also refers to the drink shared at the beginning of a meal in Romanian culture. | |||
| Russian | удача | ||
| The word "удача" derives from the verb "удеть" ("to succeed"), thus also implying success and skill. | |||
| Serbian | срећа | ||
| The word "срећа" is cognate with the Greek word "εὐτυχία" (eutychia), meaning "happiness". | |||
| Slovak | šťastie | ||
| The word "šťastie" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *steh₂-, meaning "to stand" or "to be firm" | |||
| Slovenian | sreča | ||
| In archaic Slovenian, 'sreča' meant 'fate' or 'fortune'. | |||
| Ukrainian | удача | ||
| The word "удача" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *udati, which means "to succeed" or "to be successful." | |||
Luck in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভাগ্য | ||
| In Bengali, the word "ভাগ্য" can also mean "fortune" or "fate". | |||
| Gujarati | નસીબ | ||
| The Gujarati word "નસીબ" not only means "luck" but also refers to "fate" or "destiny". | |||
| Hindi | भाग्य | ||
| The word "भाग्य" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भाग", meaning "portion" or "share", and it can also refer to "destiny" or "lot in life". | |||
| Kannada | ಅದೃಷ್ಟ | ||
| "ಅದೃಷ್ಟ" (luck) is derived from "ಅದೃಷ್ಟಿ" (auspicious vision), meaning the divine favor that brings good fortune. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭാഗ്യം | ||
| ഭാഗ്യം originates from the Sanskrit word 'bhaga' meaning 'share' or 'portion', emphasizing that luck is a portion of one's destiny. | |||
| Marathi | नशीब | ||
| The word "नशीब" is an amalgamation of "निस्" (certain) and "भाग्य" (destiny or fortune), and its literal meaning is "sure destiny." | |||
| Nepali | भाग्य | ||
| While the noun 'भाग्य' means 'luck' in Nepali, it also refers to 'fate' or 'destiny' and is also found in the context of 'fortune,' 'lot' or 'share'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਸਮਤ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਿਸਮਤ" is also used to describe a person's "destiny" or "lot in life". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාසනාව | ||
| The word “වාසනාව” is derived from the Sanskrit word “vāsanā”, which means “scent” or “aroma”. | |||
| Tamil | அதிர்ஷ்டம் | ||
| "அதிர்ஷ்டம்" also means "shaking," and the word was probably meant to describe how luck can make your hands shake. | |||
| Telugu | అదృష్టం | ||
| The word "అదృష్టం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "दृष्ट" (drishta), meaning "seen" or "visible". | |||
| Urdu | قسمت | ||
| The word 'قسمت' (luck) in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word 'قسم' (part) or 'حصه' (share) | |||
Luck in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 运气 | ||
| 运气 (yùnqi) can also refer to a person's destiny or fortune, as determined by their birthdate and time. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 運氣 | ||
| The character "運" in "運氣" (luck) originally meant "transporting goods by carriage". | |||
| Japanese | 幸運 | ||
| "幸運" in Japanese literally means "good fortune". | |||
| Korean | 운 | ||
| In addition to "luck," "운" can also mean "destiny" or "fortune." | |||
| Mongolian | аз | ||
| The word "аз" can also refer to a type of fermented mare's milk in Mongolian culture. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကံ | ||
| The word "ကံ" (luck) also implies a sense of "fate" or "destiny" in Myanmar (Burmese), reflecting the belief in a predetermined path of events. | |||
Luck in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keberuntungan | ||
| Keberuntungan does not mean the state of being successful but rather the state of being fortunate, or not unsuccessful. | |||
| Javanese | begja | ||
| "Begja" is derived from Old Javanese "bhaggea" (part, portion, allotment), related to Sanskrit "bhag" (share, lot, good fortune), suggesting fortune as one's allotted portion. | |||
| Khmer | សំណាង | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "luck," "សំណាង" can also refer to blessings, good fortune, prosperity, or well-being. | |||
| Lao | ໂຊກດີ | ||
| The Lao word "ໂຊກດີ" is also used to wish someone good fortune or congratulate them on their success. | |||
| Malay | tuah | ||
| Malay word "tuah" may also refer to "fortune", "fate", or a "supernatural blessing" | |||
| Thai | โชค | ||
| โชค (luck) derives from Sanskrit "sukha" (happiness, good fortune) but also means "interest on money" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | may mắn | ||
| The word "may mắn" is derived from the Chinese word "mǎng", meaning "lucky star" or "auspicious sign". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | swerte | ||
Luck in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uğurlar | ||
| "Uğurlar" in Azerbaijani is also used as a salutation meaning "good luck" and "success." | |||
| Kazakh | сәттілік | ||
| Сәттілік can also refer to opportunities or the favourable conditions of a situation. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ийгилик | ||
| The word "ийгилик" (luck) in Kyrgyz comes from the Old Turkic word for "good fortune" and also has the alternate meaning of "success". | |||
| Tajik | барори кор | ||
| The word "барори кор" is derived from an Indo-Iranian root meaning "great" or "high," and also connotes "fortune" or "success." | |||
| Turkmen | bagt | ||
| Uzbek | omad | ||
| The word "omad" in Uzbek comes from the Persian word for "hope" or "expectation". | |||
| Uyghur | تەلەي | ||
Luck in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | laki | ||
| In Hawaiian, “laki” can also mean the act of growing or becoming, and its verb form describes the act of rising or elevating. | |||
| Maori | waimarie | ||
| The Maori word “waimarie” means good luck but can also represent peace, prosperity or a state of well-being. | |||
| Samoan | laki | ||
| The word "laki" can also refer to an omen or an animal considered unlucky. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | swerte | ||
| The word “swerte” comes from the Chinese word for “quick,” and its original meaning was “short cut”. | |||
Luck in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | surti | ||
| Guarani | po'a | ||
Luck in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝanco | ||
| The word 'ŝanco' originally meant 'opportunity', and still retains this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Latin | fortuna | ||
| The word "fortuna" in Latin also means "wealth, fortune, or prosperity." | |||
Luck in Others Languages
| Greek | τυχη | ||
| The word 'τυχη' (luck) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tew- ('to swell'), suggesting a link between prosperity and growth. | |||
| Hmong | hmoov | ||
| In addition to "hmoov", another word for "luck" in Hmong is "hmoov dub," or literally "good luck." | |||
| Kurdish | şahî | ||
| The word "şahî" in Kurdish derives from the words "şah" and "î", meaning "king" and "fortune" respectively, suggesting the idea of a "king's fortune" or "royal luck." | |||
| Turkish | şans | ||
| The word "şans" may also be derived from the French word "chance," meaning "opportunity" or "probability." | |||
| Xhosa | amathamsanqa | ||
| In addition to "luck", "amathamsanqa" in Xhosa can also refer to the "lucky charms" that are believed to attract good luck. | |||
| Yiddish | גליק | ||
| The word "גליק" in Yiddish is thought to be derived from the German "Glück" meaning "happiness" or the Middle High German "gelücke," meaning "good fortune." | |||
| Zulu | inhlanhla | ||
| In Zulu, "inhlanhla" also refers to the umhlanhla, a tree with sacred or medicinal properties. | |||
| Assamese | ভাগ্য | ||
| Aymara | surti | ||
| Bhojpuri | भाग्य | ||
| Dhivehi | ނަސީބު | ||
| Dogri | किसमत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | swerte | ||
| Guarani | po'a | ||
| Ilocano | suerte | ||
| Krio | lɔk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەخت | ||
| Maithili | भाग्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯏꯕꯛ | ||
| Mizo | vanneihna | ||
| Oromo | carraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭାଗ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | sami | ||
| Sanskrit | भाग्य | ||
| Tatar | уңыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕድል | ||
| Tsonga | nkateko | ||