# happy / lucky, unhappy / unlucky



## ThomasK

What are your words for 

-* 'happy', happiness *and 
-* 'lucky' *(fortunate), *luck *? 

Antonyms welcome...


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## ThomasK

Dutch: 

- *gelukkig,* *het geluk  *--- NEG: _*on*gelukkig _
- _[(not common²)_ *fortuinlijk*], *het geluk/ het lot *[fate]  --- ²We can only say: *we hebben geluk*, we have luck  --- NEG: _*on*fortuinlijk
_
 We also have* a verb 'lukken'*, which has been the basis of our words, I guess. It means something like 'to work', as in _Het lukte/ _'It has worked', in some dialects also 'to manage' (*_Ik lukte erin ... te _,_ I managed to _...). 

 In German it should be about the same: 

- *glücklich, das Glück *- NEG: *unglücklich*
-  [glücklich²...?], *das Glück/ die Fortüne               *(²mainly negative: *wenig Glück/ Fortüne haben*)

 The verb _glücken_ is not that common, it seems to me.


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian *

happy -- boldog, happiness -- boldogság >< boldogtalan, boldogtalanság
lucky -- szerencsés, luck -- szerencse >< szerencsétlen, szerencsétlenség


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## ThomasK

Any verbs based on those words, Encolpius?


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## arielipi

Hebrew:
happy שמח same'akh
happiness שמחה simkha
there are many words for happiness in hebrew,
ששון sason joy/gladness/happiness
שמחה simkha engrowing/building happiness
גילה gila enthused/forceful/bursting happiness (in arabic it is related to moving/circling/rounding)
רינה rina  this root is also used for song/singing/gossip/cursing so its like poetic/birdie/singing happiness
דיצה ditza joyous happiness, teenage spirit, kids happiness, innocent happiness. pure.
צהלה tzahala laughing happiness. root is also used for horse's sound.
עליזה aliza gay happiness (and surprise surprise it is used to describe a gay person)
חדוה khedva joy, rejoicing, gaiety
תפארת tif'eret
עליצה alitza clownish/jester/prankish/sheepish/stupidish happiness
משוש masos similar to sason ששון
עלינה alina this one i found through wikimilon and never heard of it.
אושר osher simple happiness, stoic in my opinion. one that fills you whole.


lucky בר-מזל bar-mazal (mazal is luck, bar is literally "having", but actually its more like "this one has a trait of")
luck מזל mazal.


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## Awwal12

ThomasK said:


> What are your words for
> 
> -* 'happy', happiness *and
> -* 'lucky' *(fortunate), *luck *?
> 
> Antonyms welcome...


Unlike in West Germanic languages, *in Russian* these words are not direcly related.
*'happiness'* is счастье /schást'ye/, *'happy'* (masc.) is счастливый /schastlívyi/.
*'luck'* is удача /udácha/ (lit. ~'succesness', or, even more literally and in Dutch, 'gegiffenis') or везение /vezéniye/ (lit. ~~ conveying, carrying).
*'lucky'* (masc.) is удачливый /udáchlivyi/ or везучий /vezúchiy/ when speaking about persons, and удачный /udáchnyi/ when speaking about something else.
However, there are some specific uses when the Russian words for 'happy' etc. can be translated as 'lucky' (not vice versa).


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## Encolpius

happy -- boldog > verb: boldogít to make happy > adj: boldogító making happy
szerencse -- no verb


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## apmoy70

In Greek:


Happiness: *«Ευτυχία»* [efti'çi.a] (fem.) < Classical fem. noun *«εὐτυχίᾱ» eutŭkʰíā* --> lit. _good luck, good fortune_, metaph. _happiness_ < compound; prefix and adv. *«εὖ/εὐ-» eû/eu-* --> _well_ (PIE *h₁(e)su-/*uesu-, _good_ cf Skt. prefix  सु- (su-), _good, well_; Hitt. āššu-, _good, useful, pleasant_) + Classical fem. noun *«τύχη» túkʰē* --> _luck, fortune, presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, goddess «Τύχη»_ (PIE *dʰeugʰ-, _to hit the mark, meet_ cf Skt. दुहे (duhe), _to draw anything out of another thing, udder, extract_; the German adj. tüchtig is cognate).
Happy: Adj. *«ευτυχής, -ής, -ές»* [efti'çis] (masc. & fem.), [efti'çes] (neut.) < Classical adj. *«εὐτυχής, -ής, -ές» eutŭkʰḗs* (masc. & fem.), *eutŭkʰés* (neut.) --> lit. _with good luck_, metaph. _happy_.


Luck, fortune: *«Τύχη»* ['tiçi] (fem.) < Classical fem. noun *«τύχη» túkʰē* --> _luck, fortune, presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, goddess «Τύχη»_.
Lucky: *«Τυχερός, -ρή, -ρό»* [tiçe'ros] (masc.), [tiçe'ri] (fem.), [tiçe'ro] (neut.) < Byz. Gr. *«τυχηρός, -ρὴ, -ρόν» tyxērós* (masc.), *tyxērḕ* (fem.), *tyxērón* (neut.). In the Classical language the adj. was *«εὐτυχής, -ής, -ές»*.


Unhappiness: *«Δυστυχία»* [ðisti'çi.a] (fem.) < Classical fem. noun *«δυστυχίᾱ» dŭstŭkʰíā* --> _ill-luck, ill-fortune_ < compound; inseparable  prefix *«δυσ-» dus-* --> _mis-, un-_ (PIE *dus-, _wrong, bad_ cf Skt. prefix दुस्- (dus-), _evil, bad, difficult, hard_) + Classical fem. noun *«τύχη» túkʰē*.
Unhappy: *«Δυστυχής, -ής, -ές»* [ðisti'çis] (masc. & fem.), [ðisti'çes] (neut.) < Classical adj. *«δυστυχής, -ής, ές» dŭstŭkʰḗs* (masc. & fem.), *dŭstŭkʰés* (neut.) --> _with ill-luck, ill-fortune_.


Also, accident: *«Ατύχημα»* [a'tiçima] (neut.) < Classical neut. noun *«ἀτύχημᾰ» ătúkʰēmă* --> _misfortune, accident_ < compound; privative prefix *«ἀ-» a-*, prevocalic *«ἀν-» an-* (PIE *n̥-, after vocalisation of the nasal *n̥-HV-) + Classical fem. noun *«τύχη» túkʰē*; *«δυστύχημᾰ»* [ðis'tiçima] (neut.) --> _grave misfortune_ esp. _fatal incident_ < Classical neut. noun *«δυστύχημᾰ» dŭstúkʰēmă* --> _grave misfortune_ (mostly _defeat in war_) < compound; inseparable  prefix *«δυσ-» dus-* + Classical fem. noun *«τύχη» túkʰē*.


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## ThomasK

@all: I am a little surprised about the distinction, but that is due to my Dutch bias, and of course, even there there is the _geluk/ fortuin _distinction

 @Apmoy: no 'eudaimonia' (which was the word I learnt in ancient Greek)? The /tiçi/ is nothing like virtue, or is it? 

 @arielipi: the number of words is amazing. While checking at Google Translate, I find out that some are specific forms like ecstacy (kind of), splendour, pure happiness, etc. Would not /sason/ be the most general in some way?  --- By the way : there is the word 'mazzel' in Dutch spoken in the Netherlands (H_ij heeft mazzel gehad, he has had mazzel)_!

 @Awwal: I know _vergiffenis_, pardon/ forgiveness, but not _gegiffenis_. Could you check? - The _vecéniye _is not clear to me. Did you mean 'carrying luck'?


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## arielipi

ThomasK said:


> @arielipi: the number of words is amazing. While checking at Google Translate, I find out that some are specific forms like ecstacy (kind of), splendour, pure happiness, etc. Would not /sason/ be the most general in some way?  --- By the way : there is the word 'mazzel' in Dutch spoken in the Netherlands (H_ij heeft mazzel gehad, he has had mazzel)_!


The most common is שמח same'akh


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> @all: I am a little surprised about the distinction, but that is due to my Dutch bias, and of course, even there there is the _geluk/ fortuin _distinction
> 
> @Apmoy: no 'eudaimonia' (which was the word I learnt in ancient Greek)? The /tiçi/ is nothing like virtue, or is it?


*«Εὐδαιμονία»* is _bliss_ (and *«εὐδαίμων* is _blissful_). *«Τύχη»* is pure luck. Is luck a virtue?


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## ThomasK

Aha, I suppose this distinction is like Arielipi's: the general feeling and then the variations, depending on the intensity (bliss being one expression of happiness)?? My guess regarding /tiçi/ had nothing to do with the semantics, but with some far-away memory, making me believe I learnt /tiçi/ referred to virtue first, not to luck (but that was 40 years ago, so - and the mix-up _eudamonia _-/ eftiçi/ makes me wonder how good *my *information was then).


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## ahmedcowon

In Arabic:

*happy - happiness:*
سعيد /sa'īd/ - سعادة /sa'āda/
مسرور /masrour/ - سرور /sorour/

Here in Egypt, happy is: مبسوط /mabsouṭ/

*lucky - luck:*
محظوظ /maḥẓouẓ/ - حظ /ḥaẓẓ/


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## porkkanaraaste

Finnish:

happy: _onnellinen_ or _iloinen_
happiness: _onnellisuus_, _onni _or _iloisuus, ilo

Ilo_ is more temporary happiness than _onni_.

lucky: _onnekas_
luck: _onni_, colloquially _tuuri, lykky__, säkä, mäihä

_unhappy:_ onneton (_also 'wretched'_), surullinen _(_suru _'grief, sorrow')unlucky:_ epäonninen_

_onnettomuus_ 'unhappiness'; 'accident'
_onnistaa _'to be lucky'
_onnistua _'to be successful'
_onnitella _'to congratulate'


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## arielipi

ahmedcowon said:


> In Arabic:
> 
> *happy - happiness:*
> سعيد /sa'īd/ - سعادة /sa'āda/
> مسرور /masrour/ - سرور /sorour/
> 
> Here in Egypt, happy is: مبسوط /mabsouṭ/


in hebrew
ס-ע-ד s-*'*-d is used for fancy meals (less than a feast, more than regular), eating and feeding. i wonder if these are cognates because a person is happy if he's not hungry.
the root ש-ר-ר s-r-r is used for authority, lingering - here too i wonder... because a person with power is a happy person.
in israel we use mabsut as well.


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## ThomasK

Interesting information, all of you, thanks !


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## Tjahzi

In *Swedish*, they are separate words as well.

Happy - _glad, lycklig_
Happiness - _glädje, lycka_

Luck - _tur_
Lucky - _turlig/tursam_


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## Peterdg

arielipi said:


> lucky בר-מזל bar-mazal (mazal is luck, bar is literally "having", but actually its more like "this one has a trait of")
> luck מזל mazal.


We have more or less the same word in Dutch (and it probably comes from Hebrew... my guess): "mazzel": "Hij heeft mazzel" =  literally "he has luck".


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## ThomasK

Quite intriguing, this Swedish 'glad'/ 'glädje' which has some kind of etymological equivalent in English, but with some different meaning. I would just like to point out the etymology here, because it is fairly astonishing to me as we use 'glad' as 'slippery': 


> Old English glæd *"bright, shining, joyous," *from Proto-Germanic *glada- (cognates: Old Norse glaðr "smooth, bright, glad," Danish glad "glad, joyful," Old Saxon gladmod "glad," Old Frisian gled "smooth," *Dutch *glad *"slippery," German *glatt *"smooth"), *from PIE *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives referring to bright materials and gold (see glass). The modern sense is much weakened. Slang glad rags "one's best clothes" first recorded 1902.



As a matter of fact, *happy *(and *happen*) have to do with 'chance' or 'luck' as well, at least etymologically, but that comes as no surprise of course: 


> c.1200, "chance, a person's luck, fortune, fate;" also "unforeseen occurrence," from Old Norse happ "chance, good luck," from Proto-Germanic *hap- (source of Old English gehæp "convenient, fit"), from PIE *kob- "to suit, fit, succeed" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic kobu "fate, foreboding, omen," Old Irish cob "victory"). Meaning "good fortune" is from early 13c.


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> What are your words for
> 
> -* 'happy', happiness *and
> -* 'lucky' *(fortunate), *luck *?
> 
> Antonyms welcome...


[ Tagalog]       Happy- Masaya    Happiness- Kasiyahan/kagalakan   Lucky- mapalad  Luck- hatid ng langit (someone coming from high above)


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## Tjahzi

ThomasK said:


> Quite intriguing, this Swedish 'glad'/ 'glädje' which has some kind of etymological equivalent in English, but with some different meaning. I would just like to point out the etymology here, because it is fairly astonishing to me as we use 'glad' as 'slippery'



There are quite a few funny false friends between Scandinavian and Dutch, this one comes to mind.


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## ThomasK

I would like to get some extra information:  
- 'happiness' and 'happy' don't have the same root in Tagalog then, do they? Do you know of any words based on the _kasiya_- or _kagala _root (if that is one at all)? 
-  any word based on _malapad_?
_
[@Tjahzi: quite interesting. I checked on 'kluns' in Dutch (clumsy person), and then thought of 'clown' --- and they seem related indeed.]_


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> I would like to get some extra information:
> - 'happiness' and 'happy' don't have the same root in Tagalog then, do they? Do you know of any words based on the _kasiya_- or _kagala _root (if that is one at all)?
> - any word based on _malapad_?
> _
> [@Tjahzi: quite interesting. I checked on 'kluns' in Dutch (clumsy person), and then thought of 'clown' --- and they seem related indeed.]_


  Happiness and happy in Tagalog share the same root word "saya" but there is word galak that can be used also to express happiness. In kasiya and kagala the prefix? is ka . kasiyahan- ka+ siya+ han, ka+galak+an.Ka here is same as in Ka+Tagalug+an. Mapalad has root word Palad (palm) , note that palm has lines with meanings in palmistry, and it is the basis of kapalaran(fortune).


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## bazq

Peterdg said:


> We have more or less the same word in Dutch (and it probably comes from Hebrew... my guess): "mazzel": "Hij heeft mazzel" =  literally "he has luck".



Yes, Dutch got this from Yiddish which loaned it from Hebrew. It's funny since Yiddish uses the Germanic "גליק" [Glik] for "luck" more often than not, except in some set expressions of course (like "mazal-tov" , Yiddish: mazeltof].


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## ThomasK

mataripis said:


> Happiness and happy in Tagalog share the same root word "saya" but there is word galak that can be used also to express happiness. In kasiya and kagala the prefix? is ka . kasiyahan- ka+ siya+ han, ka+galak+an.Ka here is same as in Ka+Tagalug+an. Mapalad has root word Palad (palm) , note that palm has lines with meanings in palmistry, and it is the basis of kapalaran(fortune).


This _galak _cannot have anything to do with Dutch, can it? Can you use it in other contexts besides those that refer to happiness or luck? I suppose not...


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## sabs14

ThomasK said:


> Dutch:
> In German it should be about the same:
> 
> - *glücklich, das Glück *- NEG: *unglücklich*
> -  [glücklich²...?], *das Glück/ die Fortüne               *(²mainly negative: *wenig Glück/ Fortüne haben*)
> 
> The verb _glücken_ is not that common, it seems to me.



In German the verb "glücken" is not used in an active way, just in a passive form. There is  one expression, that is really common: "Etwas ist jmdm. (mir/dir etc.) geglückt" meaning something was successful. You can say for example  "Die Flucht ist ihnen geglückt" (= they managed to flee), but also "Die Torte ist dir geglückt!" (=the cake was delicious).


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## ThomasK

I beg to disagree: this 'glücken' is not used in a passive form, I think, it is just the present perfect form of an intransitive verb, as in 'The escape has worked [for them]'. You could say that it is an impersonal verb, that I do agree with. (Would you think I am mistaken ?)


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## sabs14

ThomasK said:


> I beg to disagree: this 'glücken' is not used in a passive form, I think, it is just the present perfect form of an intransitive verb, as in 'The escape has worked [for them]'. You could say that it is an impersonal verb, that I do agree with. (Would you think I am mistaken ?)


 No, thanks. Even though I am a native speaker, I must confess that I haven't occupied myself with grammar and grammatical terms lately. 
You are right. It's not a passive form, what I meant was that it is an impersonal verb. "Eine Sache ist geglückt".

It just came to my mind though, that we do have another related verb in German, namely "beglücken", which means "to make someone happy". It is a little bit old-fashioned and belongs to a more elevated register. 
Examples: "Seine Nähe beglückte sie" (His closeness made her happy.) or "Conchita Wurst beglückte Berlin" (C.W. made Berlin happy).


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## ThomasK

Thanks for the information!


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## bibax

In Czech it is about the same:

*šťastný* = happy, lucky; *štěstí* = happiness, good luck;

*nešťastný* = unhappy, unlucky;

But _neštěstí_ means disaster, e.g. letecké neštěstí = air disaster, Germ. _das Flugzeug*unglück*_;

For bad luck we use also:

*smůla* = 1. resin 2. bad luck, ill fortune;
*smolný* = adj. 1. resinous, resiny 2. unlucky;
*smolař* = 1. hist. resin maker 2. unlucky person, Germ. _der *Pech*vogel_;

We use also the German word *das Pech* (= resin):

*Měl jsem smůlu/pech.* = Ich habe Pech gehabt.


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> This _galak _cannot have anything to do with Dutch, can it? Can you use it in other contexts besides those that refer to happiness or luck? I suppose not...


galak has 2nd meaning, my honor ,my pleasure.


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