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宿命 (しゅくめい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun
fate ; destiny ; predestination
Refers to an inescapable fate or destiny, often with a nuance of being predetermined from birth or by a higher power. Common in both everyday and literary contexts.
宿しゅく
命めい
だっ
た
の
か
も
しれ
ない
。
This encounter may have been destiny.
Kanji 宿 inn, lodging, relay station Similar words 運うん 命めい 運命 is the most common word for 'fate' or 'destiny' and can imply a broader, more neutral sense of life's course. 宿命 often carries a stronger nuance of being predetermined and inescapable, sometimes with a philosophical or religious undertone.
Etymology Compound of 宿 (lodging, dwelling, or something that stays) and 命 (life, command, fate). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination suggests a fate that resides within or is assigned to a person from the start.
