adverbial N2 common politewritten
幸い — fortunately
幸い ・ さいわい
Meaning
- fortunately / luckily; also 'I would be grateful if ~' in set polite phrasing
Key sentence
幸い、けが人はいなかった。
Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial adverb; also predicate 幸いだ / 幸いです | 幸い(にも) + [good outcome] / 〜ば幸いです | 幸いにも助かった |
When: Formal-leaning; 幸いにも intensifies the adverb. The 〜ば幸いです pattern is a polite written request ('I'd appreciate it if ~').
Examples
幸いにも天気に恵まれた。
Luckily, we were blessed with good weather.
ご出席いただければ幸いです。
I would be grateful if you could attend.
When you can't use it
- As an adverb it marks a fortunate turn; as a predicate in 〜ば/〜と幸いです it forms a humble request, not a statement of luck.
Notes
- 幸い also stands as a noun/な-adj meaning 'happiness, a blessing' (不幸中の幸い 'a silver lining').
See 幸い in real sentences
Jengo shows 幸い the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.