Word
運命
Meaning in Englishfate
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
運命 denotes the force or natural course that determines events in a person's life, typically viewed as inevitable or preordained.
Main meanings
- In everyday usage, indicates the predetermined nature of life events or encounters
- In literature and media, frames characters' unavoidable destinies as a central theme
- In philosophical or religious contexts, discusses determinism, cosmic order, or divine will
How to use it
Used in formal writing and everyday speech to discuss fate or destiny; common expressions include 運命を受け入れる and 運命を変える; tone is generally serious or reflective; appropriate in literature, philosophy, and storytelling.
Variants and close terms
- 宿命 (shukumei) — predestination
- 定め (sadame) — decree, fate
- 運命論 (unmeiron) — determinism
Composition
- 運: fortune, luck, movement; in compounds it evokes the idea of the force that carries events
- 命: life, fate, order; communicates inevitability and the course of life
Etymology
unmei originates as a Sino-Japanese on reading combo where 運 provides un and 命 contributes mei; the pronunciation merged in modern Japanese to a single unit.
Origin
運命 entered Japanese discourse through Chinese thought and Buddhist influence, appearing in Heian period literature and becoming a staple in later philosophical and popular writing.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
任命
nimmei
appointment, nomination, ordination
N1
運営
unei
management, administration, operation
N1
運送
unsou
shipping, freight
N1
運賃
unchin
freight rates, shipping expenses, (passenger) fare
N1
運搬
umpan
transport, carriage
N1
運輸
unyu
transportation
N1
運用
unyou
making use of, application, practical use
N1
海運
kaiun
marine transportation
N1
革命
kakumei
revolution