Have you ever wondered how different languages express the concept of luck? It’s fascinating to see how cultures worldwide convey wishes of good fortune, celebrate lucky days, and even ward off bad luck.

Along the way, we’ll discover some intriguing phrases, traditions, and social media trends that bring us all a little closer.

Translations of LUCK in Different Languages:

Translation and Audio
  • Abkhaz: аҳҵысра (akhzysra)
  • Acehnese: nase
  • Acholi: lak
  • Afar: raxaan
  • Afrikaans: geluk
  • Albanian: fat
  • Amharic: መልካም ዕድል (melkam edl)
  • Arabic: حظ (hazz)
  • Armenian: բախտ (bakht)
  • Assamese: ভাগ্য (bhagya)
  • Avar: бакь (bak)
  • Awadhi: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Aymara: suerte
  • Azerbaijani: bəxt
  • Balinese: untung
  • Baluchi: قسمت (qismat)
  • Bambara: sanso
  • Baoulé: chance
  • Bashkir: уңыш (unish)
  • Basque: zortea
  • Batak Karo: untung
  • Batak Simalungun: untung
  • Batak Toba: untung
  • Belarusian: удача (udacha)
  • Bemba: mubone
  • Bengali: ভাগ্য (bhagya)
  • Betawi: untung
  • Bhojpuri: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Bikol: palarad
  • Bosnian: sreća
  • Breton: chañs
  • Bulgarian: късмет (kasmet)
  • Buryat: аз (az)
  • Cantonese: 運氣 (wan hei)
  • Catalan: sort
  • Cebuano: suerte
  • Chamorro: kasat
  • Chechen: алча (alcha)
  • Chichewa: mwayi
  • Chinese (Simplified): 运气 (yùnqì)
  • Chinese (Traditional): 運氣 (yùnqì)
  • Chuukese: luck
  • Chuvash: саламатлăх (salamatlăh)
  • Corsican: fortuna
  • Crimean Tatar: baht
  • Croatian: sreća
  • Czech: štěstí
  • Danish: held
  • Dari: بخت (bakht)
  • Dhivehi: ލެތްނަކު (lethnaku)
  • Dinka: lak
  • Dogri: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Dombe: chance
  • Dutch: geluk
  • Dyula: siraa
  • Dzongkha: བཀྲ་ཤིས་ (bkra shis)
  • English: luck
  • Esperanto: bonŝanco
  • Estonian: õnn
  • Ewe: afɔ
  • Faroese: heppni
  • Fijian: madigi
  • Filipino: swerte
  • Finnish: onni
  • Fon: gbè
  • French: chance
  • Frisian: gelok
  • Friulian: fortuna
  • Fulani: jamm
  • Ga: afɔ
  • Galician: sorte
  • Georgian: იღბალი (ighbali)
  • German: glück
  • Greek: τύχη (tychi)
  • Guarani: tovaka
  • Gujarati: નસીબ (nasib)
  • Haitian Creole: chans
  • Hakka: 運氣 (yùnqì)
  • Hausa: sa’a
  • Hawaiian: pōmaika‘i
  • Hebrew: מזל (mazal)
  • Hiligaynon: swerte
  • Hindi: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Hmong: kev vam meej
  • Hungarian: szerencse
  • Hunsrik: fortuna
  • Iban: tuah
  • Icelandic: heppni
  • Igbo: ụtụtụ ọma
  • Ilocano: palarad
  • Indonesian: keberuntungan
  • Irish: ádh
  • Italian: fortuna
  • Jamaican Patois: luk
  • Japanese: 運 (un)
  • Javanese: rejeki
  • Jingpo: သန္ဓာာ (thandar)
  • Kalaallisut: arpat
  • Kannada: ಅದೃಷ್ಟ (adrushta)
  • Kanuri: nasara
  • Kapampangan: palarad
  • Kazakh: сәттілік (sattılyk)
  • Khasi: sngewbha
  • Khmer: សំណាង (samnang)
  • Kiga: omugisha
  • Kikongo: mpangi
  • Kinyarwanda: amahirwe
  • Kituba: nzelekio
  • Kokborok: rangsit
  • Komi: счастие (schastie)
  • Konkani: नशीब (nasib)
  • Korean: 운 (un)
  • Krio: luck
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji): bahtî
  • Kurdish (Sorani): بەختیاری (baxtyarî)
  • Kyrgyz: ийгилик (iygilik)
  • Lao: ໂຊກດີ (sok di)
  • Latgalian: laime
  • Latin: fortuna
  • Latvian: veiksme
  • Ligurian: fortuna
  • Limburgish: gelök
  • Lingala: esengo
  • Lithuanian: sėkmė
  • Lombard: fortuna
  • Luganda: omukisa
  • Luo: riek
  • Luxembourgish: gléck
  • Macedonian: среќа (sreḱa)
  • Madurese: kabur
  • Maithili: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Makassar: untung
  • Malagasy: sambatra
  • Malay: nasib baik
  • Malay (Jawi): قسمت (qismat)
  • Malayalam: ഭാഗ്യം (bhagyam)
  • Maltese: xorti
  • Mam: fortuna
  • Manx: colldey
  • Maori: waimarie
  • Marathi: नशीब (nasib)
  • Marshallese: kunek」 (kunek)
  • Marwadi: किस्मत (kismat)
  • Mauritian Creole: chance
  • Meadow Mari: везучий (vezuchiy)
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri): ভাগ্য (bhagya)
  • Minang: nasib
  • Mizo: tihbuai
  • Mongolian: аз (az)
  • Myanmar (Burmese): ကံ (kan)
  • Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca): tlaxializtli
  • Ndau: sikoriso
  • Ndebele (South): ithamsanqa
  • Nepalbhasa (Newari): किस्मत (kismat)
  • Nepali: भाग्य (bhagya)
  • NKo: ߝߔ߭ߓߐ߬ߕߊ (fankuta)
  • Norwegian: lykke
  • Nuer: mac
  • Occitan: chança
  • Odia (Oriya): ଭାଗ୍ୟ (bhagya)
  • Oromo: quube
  • Ossetian: бахт (bakht)
  • Pangasinan: palarad
  • Papiamento: suerte
  • Pashto: قسمت (qismat)
  • Persian: بخت (bakht)
  • Polish: szczęście
  • Portuguese (Brazil): sorte
  • Portuguese (Portugal): sorte
  • Punjabi (Gurmukhi): ਕਿਸਮਤ (kismat)
  • Punjabi (Shahmukhi): قسمت (qismat)
  • Quechua: kausana
  • Qʼeqchiʼ: utzilal
  • Romani: sorte
  • Romanian: noroc
  • Rundi: amahirwe
  • Russian: удача (udacha)
  • Sami (North): láhku
  • Samoan: sāfata
  • Sango: si
  • Sanskrit: भाग्यम् (bhāgyam)
  • Santali: ᱟᱵᱞᱟ (abla)
  • Scots Gaelic: fortan
  • Sepedi: lehlohonolo
  • Serbian: срећа (sreća)
  • Sesotho: lehlohonolo
  • Seychellois Creole: chans
  • Shan: ကံ (kan)
  • Shona: rombo
  • Sicilian: fortuna
  • Silesian: szczęście
  • Sindhi: نصيب (nasib)
  • Sinhala: ඉස්සරවා (issarawa)
  • Slovak: šťastie
  • Slovenian: sreča
  • Somali: nasiib
  • Spanish: suerte
  • Sundanese: untung
  • Swahili: bahati
  • Swedish: tur
  • Tagalog: swerte
  • Tahitian: luck
  • Tajik: бахт (bakht)
  • Tamil: அதிர்ஷ்டம் (atirshtam)
  • Tatar: бәхет (bähät)
  • Telugu: అదృష్టం (adrushtam)
  • Tetum: suerte
  • Thai: โชคดี (chok dee)
  • Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་ (bkra shis)
  • Tigrinya: ሕማቕ (hamaq)
  • Tongan: monu
  • Tok Pisin: gudpela luk
  • Tsonga: mahlwen
  • Tswana: lehlohonolo
  • Turkmen: bagty
  • Turkish: şans
  • Tuvaluan: manuia
  • Ukrainian: удача (udacha)
  • Upper Sorbian: šťasće
  • Urdu: قسمت (qismat)
  • Uyghur: تەلەي (tele)
  • Uzbek: omad
  • Vietnamese: may mắn
  • Volapük: luvan
  • Walloon: chance
  • Walser: geluck
  • Waray: swerte
  • Welsh: ffawd
  • Mingrelian: იღბალი (ighbali)
  • Xhosa: ithamsanqa
  • Yiddish: מזל (mazal)
  • Yoruba: orire
  • Zazaki: şans
  • Zulu: ithamsanqa

The English Language: Luck and Its Many Facets

The word luck is a versatile term in the English language. We often say “good luck” to wish someone success or “bad luck” when things don’t go as planned.

The English word luck has its roots in the Middle Dutch word “Luc,” which means “happiness” or “good fortune.”

Whether wishing someone a “happy birthday” or a “happy new year,” we often incorporate good luck wishes into our greetings.

And who hasn’t relied on a lucky charm or crossed their fingers, hoping for some luck?

German Words: Glück and Glücklich

In German, the word “Glück” holds a special place. It means “luck” and “happiness.” So when someone says, “Ich bin glücklich,” they say, “I am happy.”

Interestingly, the word “glücklich” combines the concepts of luck and joy, showing how intertwined they are in German culture.

Audio Pronunciation and Learning

If you’re keen on getting the audio pronunciation right, plenty of resources online help you sound like a native.

It’s always fun to learn different ways to express common sentiments, and who knows, it might just bring you some good fortune!

Italian Phrases: In Bocca al Lupo

When wishing someone luck in Italian, you might hear the phrase “in bocca al lupo,” which translates to “into the wolf’s mouth.” It’s akin to saying “break a leg” in English.

The appropriate response is “crepi il lupo,” meaning “may the wolf die.” This exchange is a charming part of Italian culture, much like their gestures and expressions that add color to everyday conversations.

Buona Fortuna and More

Of course, there’s also “buona fortuna,” which directly means “good luck.”

Italians have a rich tapestry of phrases and traditions surrounding luck, many of which are tied to historical and cultural practices.

For example, Roman numerals in their architecture and art symbolize timelessness and perhaps a bit of luck from the ancient gods.

Spanish Expressions: Buena Suerte

In Spanish-speaking countries, “buena suerte” is the go-to phrase for wishing someone good luck. The translation of the word “luck” in Spanish is “suerte.”

Whether it’s a big exam, a job interview, or everyday life, offering a heartfelt “buena suerte” is a common and warm gesture.

The Danish Term: Hyldig

Delving into Danish, the term “hyldig” isn’t commonly used in modern language, but it historically relates to being lucky or fortunate.

Like many Scandinavian countries, Denmark has unique words and expressions that capture the essence of its culture and outlook on life.

Social Media and Luck: TikTok Makes It Viral

In today’s digital age, social media platforms like TikTok make trends go viral instantly.

From sharing stories of lucky encounters to showcasing lucky charms, people worldwide connect over shared experiences of luck and fortune.

Hashtags related to luck often trend, bringing together a global community that celebrates each other’s good fortune and offers support during bad luck.

Multilingual Content Writers: Bridging Cultures

Thanks to multilingual content writers, we can access a wealth of information bridging cultural gaps.

They help us understand the nuances behind phrases like the German “word ‘glücklich” or the Italian “bocca al lupo.”

These writers play a crucial role in making knowledge accessible, often offering free trials or samples of their work to reach a wider audience.

Trademarks and Licensing: A Note on Alamy Ltd.

When exploring images or content related to luck, you might come across mentions of “trademarks of Alamy Ltd.

Alamy is a stock image company that licenses photographs and other visual content. Respecting trademarks and licensing agreements is always important, especially when sharing content online.

Embracing Your Lucky Day

Understanding how different cultures express luck enriches our own experiences. Maybe today is your lucky day; learning about these expressions will bring you good fortune.

Whether you’re wishing someone a “happy birthday” or embarking on a new adventure, these phrases and the sentiments behind them connect us all.

Quick Recap of Luck Phrases:

  • English: Good luck!
  • German: Viel Glück! / Ich bin glücklich.
  • Italian: Buona fortuna! / In bocca al lupo!
  • Spanish: ¡Buena suerte!
  • Danish: Held og lykke! (Note: While “hyldig” is historical, “held” is commonly used today.)

Conclusion

Luck is a universal concept, yet it’s expressed in wonderfully diverse ways across languages and cultures.

From the German intertwining of luck and happiness to Italian phrases that invoke wolves, each expression offers a glimpse into cultural values and histories.

So next time you wish someone good luck, perhaps try out a new phrase and share a piece of global culture.

Remember, we make our luck differently through a lucky charm, a heartfelt wish, or simply embracing the moment.

Here’s to your next lucky day!

Source: Portland State University

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