Misfortune suddenly befell him.
I feel like I've been having a run of bad luck this year.
I had a purification ritual done at the shrine to ward off misfortune.
unlucky year; critical year
Abbreviation of 厄年 (やくどし). Refers to specific ages (e.g., 25, 42 for men; 19, 33 for women) traditionally considered unlucky. Often used in the context of 厄払い (exorcism/purification).
See also: 厄年
Since this year is the year before his unlucky year, he plans to go for a purification ritual.
Many people buy amulets at shrines during their unlucky years.
This year she enters her unlucky year.
I had a purification ritual done at the shrine to ward off bad luck.
My unlucky year is scheduled to end next year.
不運 is a general, secular word for bad luck, whereas 厄 is tied to traditional beliefs about ages and evil spirits.
災い is a broader literary term for calamity or disaster, while 厄 specifically evokes the notion of an ominous, fate-bound misfortune.
厄 refers to a specific calamity or curse (as in yakudoshi, an unlucky age), whereas 凶 is the broader term for an unlucky state or fortune-telling result.
troublesome; burdensome; nuisance · care; dependence; obligation
calamity; disaster; catastrophe
unlucky year; critical year · bad year; annus horribilis
warding off evil; protection against misfortune
exorcism; ceremonial cleansing from evil influence · door-to-door exorcism on New Year's Eve or Setsubun
unlucky day; bad day · critical day (for crops)
the year before a critical age; the year before an inauspicious year
year before an unlucky year
calamity; disaster; accident
The kanji 厄 originally depicts a knot or obstacle, symbolizing difficulty or misfortune. The reading やく is the on'yomi (Sino-Japanese). The word is deeply rooted in traditional Japanese beliefs about unlucky ages and purification rituals.
bad luck; misfortune
calamity; misfortune; evil
distress; disaster
great calamity; disaster; grand climacteric
the year after an unlucky year
critical year in one's life; inauspicious year
hardship and misfortune