Unmei is the Japanese word for ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’, explained

What does “unmei” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “unmei” to mean ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in Japanese movies, novels, songs, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “unmei” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “unmei”
• Unmei in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “fate” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “unmei”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “unmei”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “unmei”.

• unmei – 運命 (うんめい) : a noun meaning ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ in Japanese. This word can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to the things happening in someone’s life. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to those of the English ones, I think.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Unmei in kanji

The kanji expression of “unmei” consists of the following two characters:

• 運 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of carrying or delivering.
• 命 : a kanji character used to mean ‘life’.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “unmei” literally means a ‘carried life’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A fate can be considered as the things carried to someone’s life.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “unmei” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “fate” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is mainly used by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku tachi” to make its possessive case, “boku tachi no”, which means ‘our’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi no unmei” to make the object in the sentence.
• wakara – 分から (わから) : one conjugation of the verb, “wakaru“, which means ‘to see’, ‘to know’, ‘to understand’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “wakara” to deny its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “unmei”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “boku tachi no unmei”, which means ‘our fate’ in Japanese. When we want to say “fate” or “destiny” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “unmei”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “unmei” and “hito”. The formed phrase literally means ‘a person of destiny’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”. The phrase is often translated into English as ‘someone’s destiny’, ‘soul mate’, or such, though.
• hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’ or ‘people’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “unmei no hito” to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “unmei”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “unmei no hito”, which means ‘someone’s destiny’, ‘soul mate’, or such in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “unmei” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• unmei – 運命 (うんめい) : a noun meaning ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ in Japanese. This word can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘carried life’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A fate can be considered as the things carried to someone’s life. When we want to say “fate” or “destiny” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
• unmei no hito – 運命の人 (うんめいのひと) : a Japanese expression for ‘someone’s destiny’ or ‘soul mate’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.