1.
calamity; disaster; catastrophe; misfortune
A severe misfortune or disaster, often with connotations of fate or supernatural causes. More literary and dramatic than everyday words for disaster.
厄災が降りかかる。
Calamity befalls.
厄災から身を守るためにお祓いをする。
To perform a purification ritual to protect oneself from calamity.
戦争は人類にとって最も大きな厄災の一つだ。
War is one of the greatest calamities for humankind.
この地域は過去に何度も厄災に見舞われてきた。
This region has been hit by calamity many times in the past.
A literary word for calamity or disaster, often carrying connotations of fate, divine punishment, or forces beyond human control. Commonly encountered in literature, historical writing, fantasy/game contexts, and formal speeches. In everyday conversation, 災害 or 災難 are more typical.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 厄災が降りかかる: for calamity to befall
- 厄災に見舞われる: to be struck by calamity
- 厄災を{もたらす}: to bring about disaster
- 厄災を払う: to ward off calamity
- 厄災から逃れる: to escape from disaster
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 災害: disaster — the standard neutral term, used for natural disasters and emergencies
- 災難: misfortune — personal-scale bad luck or trouble
- 惨事: tragedy, catastrophe — emphasizes the horrific nature of an event
- 天災: natural disaster — specifically caused by nature
- 厄: bad luck, unlucky year — relates to superstition about certain ages
FORMATION:
厄 (misfortune, bad luck) + 災 (disaster) — combines two characters both relating to calamity.