noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
good fortune; good luck; auspiciousness
Primarily used in the context of omikuji (fortune slips) to indicate a favorable result. Can also be used more generally for auspiciousness.
See also: おみくじ
おみくじで吉が出た。
I drew a 'good fortune' on my omikuji.
unspecified day of the month
Abbreviation of 吉日. Used in formal letters or invitations to obscure the exact date of writing, implying it was written on an auspicious day.
See also: 吉日
手紙の末尾に「吉」とだけ書かれていた。
At the end of the letter, only '吉' was written.
The fortune I drew today turned out to be good luck.
It seems it's good to go in an auspicious direction today.
The date on the invitation is given as '吉'.
I wrote 'an auspicious day in May' at the end of the letter.
縁起 is the broader idea of an omen or sign of luck (good or bad), whereas 吉 specifically labels something as good luck.
凶 is the opposite result to 吉 in omikuji fortune-telling, meaning bad luck instead of good luck.
吉 means good luck or a favorable omen, the direct opposite of 不吉's sense of bad luck or an ominous sign.
吉日 is the full word for 'auspicious day,' while 吉 is its abbreviated form used alone in formal letter dating.
大吉 is the top-tier "great luck" result on an omikuji, whereas 吉 is a plain, mid-level "good luck" result one step below it.
excellent luck; great fortune
slightly good luck; small blessing
good news; glad tidings
future good luck; good luck to come
lucky omen; auspicious sign; good fortune
lucky omen; good omen
lucky day; auspicious day · unspecified day of the month
good or bad luck; fortune
first calligraphy of the year
Standard kanji form for both senses.
The kanji 吉 has long been associated with good fortune and auspiciousness in Chinese and Japanese tradition. The reading きち is the standard on'yomi, while きつ is a less common variant.
10,000 yen bill
moderately good luck
auspicious event; happy occasion
festive annual custom; auspicious tradition
auspicious dream; good dream
auspicious event; something to celebrate
auspicious appearance; good omen
lucky day; auspicious occasion
good news; favorable information · news of an outcome; report on how something went
valerian oil