noun
sign of things to come; omen
Neutral term for a sign or omen, often used in set phrases like 幸先がいい (good omen) or 幸先が悪い (bad omen).
初日の売り上げが幸先のいいスタートになった。
The first day's sales were a promising start.
彼の笑顔は幸先のいい知らせだった。
His smile was a good sign.
前兆 is a more formal or literary term for an omen or precursor, often used for natural phenomena or serious events, while 幸先 is commonly used in everyday expressions about good or bad starts.
The word is composed of 幸 (happiness, fortune) and 先 (ahead, future), suggesting a sign of future fortune. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.