Translation guide
A wedding arranged quickly, often due to an unplanned pregnancy, to avoid social embarrassment. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through descriptive phrases rather than a single fixed term.
To describe a wedding that happens because the bride is pregnant, often hastily arranged.
A common, slightly colloquial phrase meaning 'oops marriage' or 'shotgun wedding'. It implies the pregnancy was unplanned and led to the marriage.
二人はできちゃった結婚をした。
They had a shotgun wedding.
A more positive, euphemistic term meaning 'blessed marriage', emphasizing the baby as a gift. Often used in formal contexts or by the couple themselves.
私たちは授かり婚です。
We had a shotgun wedding (lit. a blessed marriage).
An older, somewhat dated term meaning 'happy event marriage'. Less common today but still understood.
あの二人はおめでた婚らしい。
I hear those two had a shotgun wedding.
To emphasize the rushed or pressured nature of the wedding, not necessarily due to pregnancy.
Literally 'elope marriage', implying a hurried, secretive wedding, often against family wishes. Can overlap with shotgun wedding if pregnancy is involved.
彼らは駆け落ち結婚をした。
They had a hurried, secret wedding.
Means 'forced marriage'. Stronger and less common for shotgun weddings; used when there is explicit pressure or coercion.
それはほとんど強制結婚だった。
It was practically a forced marriage.
できちゃった結婚 is casual and often used by third parties or in media. 授かり婚 is a softer, more respectful term preferred by the couple or in formal announcements. Avoid using できちゃった結婚 directly to the couple unless you are very close.
雑誌で「できちゃった結婚」と書かれていたが、本人たちは「授かり婚」と言っている。
The magazine called it a 'shotgun wedding', but the couple themselves call it a 'blessed marriage'.
There is no direct Japanese equivalent of 'shotgun wedding'. Avoid literal translations like ショットガン・ウェディング, which would not be understood. Use the descriptive phrases above.