Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
運命 (うんめい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Meanings 1
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
fate ; destiny ; lot
Refers to a predetermined course of events, often with a sense of inevitability or a grand, sometimes tragic, design. Can be used both in everyday and philosophical contexts.
運うん
命めい
だっ
た
。
Their meeting was destiny.
Similar words 宿しゅく 命めい 宿命 implies an inescapable, often burdensome fate assigned from birth, while 運命 is a broader term for destiny that can be positive or negative.
定さだ め 定め is a native Japanese word for fate or destiny, often with a more poetic or literary feel, and is the base for the rare reading さだめ of 運命.
Etymology Compound of 運 (うん, 'fortune, luck') and 命 (めい, 'life, command'). The combination conveys the idea of a life's course as determined by fortune or a higher power.
