Lucky in different languages

Lucky in Different Languages

Discover 'Lucky' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'lucky' holds a special place in our hearts and minds as it represents good fortune, happiness, and success. Its significance extends beyond mere chance, as it often symbolizes the positive outcomes that come from hard work and perseverance. The concept of luck is deeply ingrained in various cultures and traditions, often playing a crucial role in religious beliefs, superstitions, and folklore.

For instance, in Chinese culture, the color red and the number 8 are considered auspicious, symbolizing prosperity and luck. Meanwhile, in Western cultures, finding a four-leaf clover or a horseshoe is believed to bring good luck. Understanding the translation of 'lucky' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and approach the idea of fortune.

Here are some translations of 'lucky' in various languages: Spanish - suerte, French - chance, German - glück, Italian - fortuna, Japanese - 幸運{kouun}, Chinese - 幸运{xing yun}, and Korean - 행운{haeng un}.

Lucky


Lucky in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansgelukkig
The Afrikaans word "gelukkig" originates from the Old Dutch word "ghelucke", which means "fortune" or "wealth".
Amharicዕድለኛ
In Amharic, the term "ዕድለኛ" ("lucky") can also refer to a person who has the right to do or receive something.
Hausasa'a
In Hausa, "sa'a" also refers to a period of time, typically associated with good fortune or opportunity.
Igbokechioma
Igbo-speaking people also use the word to mean "the most favoured".
Malagasylucky
In Malagasy, "lucky" also means "to be rich" or "to have a lot of money".
Nyanja (Chichewa)mwayi
In addition to "lucky," the word "mwayi" can also refer to "blessing," "favor," or "opportunity" in Nyanja (Chichewa).
Shonarombo rakanaka
The Shona word "rombo rakanaka" can also mean "a lucky person" or "a person who is favored by luck."
Somalinasiib badan
The Somali word "nasiib badan" comes from the Arabic "nasīb", meaning "lot" or "portion", and is often used to describe someone who has had a fortunate outcome.
Sesotholehlohonolo
The word "lehlohonolo" is also used to describe someone who is favored or blessed by God.
Swahilibahati
The word 'bahati' is also used in Swahili to describe a good fortune, destiny, or luck.}
Xhosanethamsanqa
The word "nethamsanqa" in Xhosa also refers to a state of contentment or fortune.
Yorubaorire
The Yoruba word "orire" can also refer to a person's destiny, fortune, or luck.
Zuluunenhlanhla
It also refers to the concept of 'luckiness' in Nguni and Sotho, associated with wealth and favour.
Bambarakunnaja
Ewekpɔ aklama
Kinyarwandaamahirwe
Lingalachance
Luganda-mukisa
Sepedimahlatse
Twi (Akan)tiri nkwa

Lucky in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicسعيد الحظ
In Arabic, "سعيد الحظ" can also refer to "fate" or "destiny"
Hebrewבַּר מַזָל
בַּר מַזָל may also refer to a "Son of luck," meaning "one born under an auspicious hour," and thus one that is lucky or fortunate.
Pashtoبختور
The word "بختور" in Pashto also refers to a type of hawk.
Arabicسعيد الحظ
In Arabic, "سعيد الحظ" can also refer to "fate" or "destiny"

Lucky in Western European Languages

Albanianme fat
The Albanian word "me fat" derives from the Proto-Albanian word *met'a, meaning "fate
Basquezortea
The word “zortea” is a derivative of the Latin word “sors”, meaning “fate”.
Catalansort
In Catalan, "sort" can also refer to the act of drawing lots or casting a spell.
Croatiansretan
In Serbo-Croatian, the word 'sretan' means not only 'lucky' but also 'happy'.
Danishheldig
The word "heldig" is derived from the Old Norse word "heill", which means "health" or "well-being".
Dutchlucky
"Gelukkig", the Dutch for lucky, also means happy.
Englishlucky
The word "lucky" shares an etymology with the Latin "lux," meaning "light," and was initially used as a verb meaning "to give light" or "to prosper."
Frenchchanceux
The word "chanceux" is derived from the Latin word "cadere" (to fall), referring to the unpredictable nature of luck.
Frisianlokkich
The word "lokkich" in Frisian can also refer to a "door latch" or "clasp".
Galiciansorte
In Galician, "sorte" can also mean "fate" or "destiny", and its root is the Latin word "sors", meaning "lot" or "fate."
Germanglücklich
The word 'Glücklich' derives from the Middle High German 'gelücke' meaning 'fortune', but also encompasses a sense of fulfilment and contentment.
Icelandicheppinn
The Icelandic word 'heppinn' is thought to derive from the Proto-Germanic word 'haifstijaz', meaning 'skillful'.
Irishádh
The word "ádh" in Irish, meaning "luck," is derived from the Proto-Celtic "*ā-dʰeh₁-," meaning "to prosper."
Italianfortunato
The term 'fortunato' is also the past participle of the Italian verb 'fortificare,' meaning 'to fortify' or 'to strengthen'.
Luxembourgishglécklech
Glécklech derives from the Middle German word "gelükke" which originally meant "good fortune", "luck" or "happiness".
Maltesefortunat
The Maltese word "fortunat" derives from the Latin "fortunatus" and can also mean "favoured by fortune" or "blessed."
Norwegianheldig
The Old Norse word "heill" meaning "health" gave rise to the Norwegian word "heldig", as a healthy person was considered lucky.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)por sorte
The Portuguese phrase "por sorte" originally meant "by chance" or "by lot" but has evolved to mean "lucky".
Scots Gaelicfortanach
The word `fortanach` can also refer to something that is prosperous or advantageous.
Spanishsuerte
The word "suerte" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "sors," which means "lot" or "destiny."
Swedishtur-
The word 'tur' comes from the Old Swedish word 'thör', which meant 'to do' or 'to happen'.
Welshlwcus
In Welsh, "lwcus" can also refer to a "place of gathering" or a "congregation".

Lucky in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпашанцавала
Bosniansretan
Sretan also means 'met' or 'encountered' in Croatian and Bosnian.
Bulgarianкъсметлия
The word 'късметлия' is derived from the Turkish word 'kısmet,' which means fate or destiny.
Czechšťastný
The Czech word "šťastný" stems from "sčasťe," which means "happiness" in Old Church Slavonic, or from the Proto-Slavic word "*sъtъ," which means "full" or "existent."
Estonianvedas
The word "vedas" in Estonian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wed-", meaning "to find out" or "to know".
Finnishonnekas
"Onnekas" shares a linguistic root with "onnistua," meaning "to succeed," which is itself related to the word for "honey," reflecting the sweetness of success and good luck.
Hungarianszerencsés
The Hungarian word "szerencsés" originally referred to the inhabitants of the city of Szerencs, but its meaning evolved over time to mean "fortunate" or "lucky".
Latvianpaveicies
The Latvian word "paveicies" can also mean "to make lucky" or "to be successful".
Lithuanianpasisekė
The word "pasisekė" comes from the Lithuanian phrase "pasisekė laimė," meaning "happened upon happiness."
Macedonianсреќен
The word "среќен" in Macedonian also has the alternate meaning of "happy" or "fortunate."
Polishszczęściarz
The word "Szczęściarz" is derived from the Old Polish word "szczęście," meaning "happiness" or "good fortune"
Romaniannorocos
The word "norocos" is derived from the Romanian word "noroc" which means "luck" or "fortune".
Russianсчастливый
The word "счастливый" derives from the Old Russian word "счастье", meaning "good fortune" or "well-being."
Serbianсрећан
The word 'срећан' has its roots in the Old Serbian verb 'sresti' which means to meet.
Slovakšťastie
The word "šťastie" is cognate with the Latin word "status," and has a similar alternate meaning of "estate" or "condition."
Sloveniansrečo
The Slovenian word “srečo” derives from “srečati”, meaning to encounter.
Ukrainianпощастило
The term "пощастило" originated as an expression in Ukrainian that wished someone success in avoiding harm.

Lucky in South Asian Languages

Bengaliভাগ্যবান
The word "ভাগ্যবান" can also mean "wealthy" or "fortunate".
Gujaratiનસીબદાર
The Gujarati word "નસીબદાર" is also used metaphorically to refer to a virtuous or fortunate person.
Hindiसौभाग्यशाली
The term 'सौभाग्यशाली', or 'fortunate' in Hindi, traces back to the Sanskrit term 'सु भाग्य', which literally translates as someone with 'beautiful luck'.
Kannadaಅದೃಷ್ಟ
The Kannada word "ಅದೃಷ್ಟ" (adrushta) is derived from the Sanskrit word "दृष्ट" (drishta), meaning "seen" or "observed", and the negative prefix "अ" (a), indicating "not". Thus, it literally means "not seen" or "unseen", and by extension, "fate" or "destiny".
Malayalamഭാഗ്യം
The Sanskrit root "bhaj" means "to distribute" or "to divide", hinting at the idea of a fortunate portion or allotment.
Marathiनशीबवान
The term 'नशीबवान' is derived from Persian origin, consisting of 'nasib' (fate) and 'wan' (having), referring to someone who enjoys a favourable destiny.
Nepaliभाग्यमानी
भाग्यमानी is derived from two Nepali words, भाग्य (luck) and मान (respect), referring to someone highly blessed and esteemed due to their fortune.
Punjabiਖੁਸ਼ਕਿਸਮਤ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වාසනාවන්තයි
Tamilஅதிர்ஷ்டசாலி
Tamil அதிர்ஷ்டசாலி (athirshtasali) comes from the Sanskrit
Teluguఅదృష్ట
The Telugu word "అదృష్ట" originates from the Sanskrit word "दृष्ट" meaning "seen", referring to the idea that luck, as a positive force, is something perceived or witnessed.
Urduخوش قسمت
The word "خوش قسمت" comes from the Persian word "khush-qismat" which literally means "good fortune".

Lucky in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)幸运
"幸运" is a loanword from Japanese, where the word "saiwai" originally meant "happiness" or "well-being".
Chinese (Traditional)幸運
The character 幸運 (xìngyùn) literally means 'meet happiness' and is often used in the context of winning a lottery or other chance-based game.
Japanese幸運な
The term 幸運(こううん) literally translates to "fortune luck."
Korean행운의
"행운의" means lucky, fortunate, and prosperous in Korean.
Mongolianазтай
The word "азтай" comes from the Mongolian root word "аз", meaning "horse" and implies a sense of blessing, freedom and good fortune.
Myanmar (Burmese)ကံကောင်းတယ်

Lucky in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianberuntung
The word "beruntung" can also mean "well-prepared" or "fortunate".
Javanesebegja
The word "begja" in Javanese also means "to have a good share of fortune" and "to have a good destiny".
Khmerសំណាង
សំណាង, in addition to its usual meaning of "lucky," also has the connotation of "auspicious" or "propitious."
Laoໂຊກດີ
According to the Lao-English dictionary, the word ໂຊກດີ was first borrowed from Thai in the early 20th century and was later expanded to mean "luck".
Malaybertuah
The word "bertuah" is cognate with the Proto-Austronesian word *betu "to be good", and is related to the Malay word "tuah" which could mean either "fortune" or "misfortune" depending on context and usage.
Thaiโชคดี
"โชคดี" can also refer to a form of Buddhist amulets traditionally produced from deer antler."}}
Vietnamesemay mắn
The word "may mắn" derives from the Chinese "mùyùn" meaning "abundance of clouds and rain" which represents good fortune and prosperity.
Filipino (Tagalog)maswerte

Lucky in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanişanslı
"Şanslı" means "lucky" in Azerbaijani. It also has the alternate meaning of "fortunate", which refers to someone who has had good luck or success.
Kazakhбақытты
The Kazakh word "бақытты" (baqytty) is derived from the Persian word "baxt" (fortune), and also has the alternate meaning of "happy".
Kyrgyzбактылуу
The word "бактылуу" in Kyrgyz can also mean "blessed" or "fortunate".
Tajikхушбахт
"Khushbakht" is a Farsi loanword that also has the meaning of "happy" or "joyful" in Tajik.
Turkmenbagtly
Uzbekbaxtli
The word "baxtli" means "lucky" in Uzbek and is derived from the Persian word "bakht," which means "fortune" or "luck."
Uyghurتەلەيلىك

Lucky in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianlaki
In addition to meaning "lucky" or "fortunate," "laki" can also mean "beautiful" or "handsome" in Hawaiian.
Maoriwaimarie
In Maori mythology, 'waimarie' also refers to a state of harmonious balance or well-being.
Samoanlaki
Laki is also used figuratively to refer to someone who is fortunate or blessed.
Tagalog (Filipino)masuwerte
The Tagalog word "masuwerte" is derived from the Spanish "mas suerte", meaning "more luck".

Lucky in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarasurtisita
Guaraniipo'áva

Lucky in International Languages

Esperantobonŝanca
The word 'bonŝanca' is a calque from French 'bonne chance', meaning 'good luck'.
Latinfelix
"Felix" also means "happy" and can be used as a name, such as Pope Felix I or the Spanish explorer Felix de Azara.

Lucky in Others Languages

Greekτυχερός
"τυχερός" (lucky) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *tew- ("to swell, become fat"), hence related to words like "fat", "thick", and "heavy".
Hmongmuaj hmoo
The word "muaj hmoo" can also be used to refer to objects or events that bring good fortune or luck.
Kurdishşayî
Şayî (lucky) derives from the Indo-European stem
Turkishşanslı
"Şanslı" kelimesi "şans" kelimesinden türemiştir ve "şans sahibi olan" anlamına gelir.
Xhosanethamsanqa
The word "nethamsanqa" in Xhosa also refers to a state of contentment or fortune.
Yiddishמאַזלדיק
The Yiddish word "מאַזלדיק" ('lucky') also carries connotations of 'propitious' or 'favorable', with an implied notion of divine providence.
Zuluunenhlanhla
It also refers to the concept of 'luckiness' in Nguni and Sotho, associated with wealth and favour.
Assameseসৌভাগ্যশালী
Aymarasurtisita
Bhojpuriभाग्यशाली
Dhivehiނަސީބުގަދަ
Dogriखुशकिसमत
Filipino (Tagalog)maswerte
Guaraniipo'áva
Ilocanonagasat
Kriogɛt lɔk
Kurdish (Sorani)بە بەخت
Maithiliभाग्यशाली
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯥꯏꯕꯛ ꯐꯕ
Mizovannei
Oromocarra-qabeessa
Odia (Oriya)ଭାଗ୍ୟବାନ
Quechuasamiyuq
Sanskritभाग्यशाली
Tatarбәхетле
Tigrinyaዕድለኛ
Tsongankateko

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