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Kanji for Luck
The kanji most commonly used for "Luck" are 運、福、縁.
運
Kanji that mean Luck
運 (un) is luck as the ride you are on. The character means “to carry, to transport” — the road radical 辶 doing the moving — and Japanese took “what carries you” as fortune itself: 運がいい, lucky; 運命, fate; 運勢, one’s fortunes. The same character still means transport (運転, driving), so luck in Japanese is literally about where you are being taken.
福 (fuku) is the settled, festive good fortune of shrines and new-year charms — 幸福 (happiness), 福引き (a lucky draw). 縁 (en) is the subtle one: the karmic tie that brings people together — 縁がある means fate connected us; 良縁 is a fortunate match. Much of what English calls luck, Japanese calls 縁: the right meeting at the right time.
For spoken luck-wishing, Japanese says 幸運を (good fortune) or 頑張って (do your best) — a cultural hint that effort is the preferred half of fortune.
Words using Luck kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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運動
うんどう
exercise; physical training; workout
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福祉
ふくし
welfare; well-being; social welfare
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無縁
むえん
unrelated; unconnected; irrelevant
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運営
うんえい
management; administration; operation
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社会福祉
しゃかいふくし
social welfare
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因縁
いんねん
fate; destiny; connection
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運転
うんてん
operation (of a machine); running; working
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幸福
こうふく
happiness; well-being; joy
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血縁
けつえん
blood relationship; consanguinity; blood relative
Before you use Luck kanji
運 alone is risky in an amusing way: it means "luck" but equally "transport" — and it appears in 運転 (driving) as much as 運命 (destiny). 福 is the safest and most festive "good luck" character. 縁 is the deep cut: fated connection — beautiful, and instantly moving to Japanese readers.