ついてない
ついてない
expression
unlucky; out of luck; having bad luck
1.
unlucky; out of luck; having bad luck
Colloquial expression for being unlucky, especially on a particular day or in a particular situation. The negative form of ついている ("to be lucky"), originally from 運がつく ("luck attaches to one").
今日はついてない。
I'm out of luck today.
ついてないことばかり続く。
Nothing but bad luck keeps happening.
電車に乗り遅れた上に財布も忘れて、本当についてない一日だった。
I missed the train and forgot my wallet on top of it — it was really an unlucky day.
Colloquial contraction of ついていない, the negative of ついている ("to be lucky"). The fuller form 〜が付いていない can also be written with kanji but is overwhelmingly written in kana in this idiomatic sense.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ついてない日: an unlucky day
- ついてないことばかり: nothing but bad luck
- 今日はついてない: I'm having bad luck today
- ついてないなあ: just my luck (exclamation)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 不運: misfortune — more formal, often used in writing
- 運が悪い: literally "luck is bad" — neutral register, slightly more explicit
- ついている: to be lucky — the positive counterpart