Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 災わざわ いが 降ふ りかかる for misfortune/disaster to befall someone
Misfortune has befallen that family for many years.
災わざわ いに 遭あ う to meet with disaster/misfortune
We met with an unexpected disaster during the trip.
災わざわ いを 避さ ける to avoid disaster/misfortune
He carried a charm to try to avoid misfortune.
Expressions 災わざわ いを 招まね く bring calamity upon oneself; invite disaster; court disaster 口くち は 災わざわ いの 元もと words can lead to disaster; the tongue is the root of calamities 口くち は 災わざわ いの 門かど words can lead to disaster; the tongue is the root of calamities 災わざわ い 転てん じて 福ふく となす turn misfortune into fortune; turn a disaster to one's advantage Kanji 禍 calamity, misfortune, evil 殃 misfortune, disaster, calamity Related words 災難 usually describes a sudden, unexpected accident or mishap, while 災い can refer to a broader or more prolonged state of misfortune.
災害 is the standard term for a concrete natural or man-made disaster (earthquake, flood, etc.), while 災い is more literary and can cover abstract or spiritual misfortune too.
不幸 is a general word for personal unhappiness or bad luck, whereas 災い implies a larger-scale or more severe calamity.
災い is a broader literary term for calamity or disaster, while 厄 specifically evokes the notion of an ominous, fate-bound misfortune.
Opposites 幸い means good fortune or happiness, the direct opposite of 災い 's misfortune or calamity.
禍 means misfortune or calamity, the direct opposite of 福 's good fortune, as in the pair 禍福 (fortune and misfortune).
災い means a calamity or misfortune, the opposite of the beneficial gift or grace described by 恵み .
Written forms 災わざわ い Usage 77%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
禍わざわい Usage 12%
Alternate kanji form, often used in literary or formal contexts.
わざわい Usage 10%
殃わざわい Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Etymology The word is of native Japanese origin. The kanji 災 and 禍 both convey the idea of disaster or misfortune. The exact derivation of the reading わざわい is uncertain.
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