fortunately; luckily; thankfully
A set phrase used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to express relief that something turned out well. Often followed by a positive outcome.
Fortunately, it didn't turn into a major accident.
Thankfully, he recovered quickly.
運良く highlights luck or chance in a specific event, while 幸いなことに emphasizes the speaker's relief that things turned out well.
Standard kanji-kana spelling for this set phrase.
Variant with 事 instead of こと; slightly more formal or written style.
Derived from the adjective 幸い (さいわい, 'fortunate') + な (attributive form) + こと ('thing') + に (adverbial particle), literally 'in a fortunate thing'. The phrase became a fixed adverbial expression.