チャンス (A2)
English: Chance
カタカナ: チャンス
IPA: /tʃæns/
Definition
The English word 'chance' has three important meanings that Japanese learners need to distinguish. First, it means opportunity, which matches the Japanese チャンス perfectly. For example, 'This is your chance to shine' or 'I never got a chance to apologize.' In this meaning, chance is positive and intentional, just like Japanese. Second, and most confusingly for Japanese learners, 'chance' means probability or likelihood. This is a neutral, mathematical sense. 'There's a 70% chance of rain tomorrow.' 'What are the chances of winning?' 'The chances are slim.' In this meaning, chance has nothing to do with grabbing opportunities. Third, 'chance' means luck, accident, or randomness. 'By chance, I ran into my old friend at the airport.' 'It happened by chance, not by design.' 'Take a chance' means to accept a risk or try something uncertain. In everyday English, all three meanings are very common, so Japanese learners who only know チャンス as a positive opportunity word will often misunderstand or be misunderstood. When a native speaker says 'Chances are it will rain,' they are talking about probability, not opportunity.
意味: 英語の「chance」には日本語の「チャンス」と重なる意味もありますが、それ以外にも重要な意味が2つあります。第一に「機会・チャンス」という意味で、これは日本語のチャンスとほぼ同じです（例：「This is your chance!（これがあなたのチャンスだ！）」）。第二に「可能性・確率」という中立的な意味があります。「There's a 70% chance of rain.（雨の可能性は70%です）」「What are the chances?（どのくらいの確率？）」のように使います。この使い方は機会とは無関係です。第三に「偶然・運」という意味があります。「by chance（偶然に）」「take a chance（リスクを取る）」がその例です。チャンスをポジティブな機会としてのみ理解している日本人学習者は、この2番目・3番目の使い方でしばしば混乱します。
Examples / 例文
このチャンスを絶対に逃さないようにしよう。 — Let's make sure not to miss this chance.
明日の雨の可能性は30%だ。 — There's a 30% chance of rain tomorrow.
偶然、電車の中で昔の友人に会った。 — By chance, I ran into an old friend on the train.
チャンス in English
English translations of チャンス (chance):
See "Chance" in the English dictionary
Browse the full Japanese-English dictionary