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.
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.
We had a shotgun wedding (lit. a blessed marriage).
An older, somewhat dated term meaning 'happy event marriage'. Less common today but still understood.
I hear those two had a shotgun wedding.
To emphasize the rushed or pressured nature of the wedding, not necessarily due to pregnancy.
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.
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.
Means 'forced marriage'. Stronger and less common for shotgun weddings; used when there is explicit pressure or coercion.
It was practically a forced marriage.