thankfully; fortunately; luckily
Expresses gratitude or relief that something good happened or a bad situation was avoided. Often used at the beginning of a sentence.
Thankfully, the weather cleared up.
Fortunately, it didn't turn into a major accident.
運良く means 'luckily' and focuses on chance, while ありがたいことに emphasizes thankfulness for the outcome.
Kanji spelling; less common than kana.
Kanji spelling with 事; rarely used.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; rarely used.
Derived from the adjective ありがたい (grateful) + こと (thing) + に (adverbial particle), literally 'in a thing that is grateful', used as a set phrase meaning 'thankfully'.