Hey there, I'm not great with languages, but I'm trying to put something together as a personal project about all the ways luck, lucky things, and luck based symbolism are represented in various languages.
I don't trust Google, and I've seen mixed things from various sites. I was wondering if any speakers or people fluent in the language could give me a few examples of kanji, hiragana, katakana, or sayings that pertain to this topic?
Again, I promise this isn't for what you think it is. People that get those are cringe, and I have enough ill conceived ink as it is.
by RhinestoneCatboy
4 comments
I neither get what you’re asking of us nor what you think we would interpret it to be had you not pre-explained
Do you mean expressions related to luck, like proverbs or sayings (such as タナボタ (short for 棚から牡丹餅), which is often translated as ‘Pennies from heaven’)?
[Kin no unko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_no_unko)
Poop is associated with luck because the Japanese words for it, うんこ *unko* and うんち *unchi*, contain *un* (運), which means luck.
For Setsubun, people throw beans at someone chosen to be a devil and drive them out of the house. They shout “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” / 「鬼は外、福は内」/ (Demons be outside, luck be inside).
Shops and restaurants sometimes have a banner saying “Senkyaku banrai” / 「千客万来」 / (For a thousand customers to come ten thousand times).
Maneki neko and daruma heads are symbols of good luck.
In temples and shrines you can get omamori talismans and omikuji horoscopes. They have phrases like:
– “Daikichi” / 「大吉」/ (Great luck)
– “Koutsuu anzen” / 「交通安全」 / (Safe traveling)
– “Kenkou omamori” / 「健康御守」/ (Protection of health)
That’s a start.