Accidentally, Chance
たまたま (tamatama)
Interesting Fact
The original meaning of 偶 was surprisingly different from “chance.” It referred to a human-shaped figure or statue, such as a figure made from wood or clay. This meaning survives in Japanese words like 土偶 (どぐう), the famous clay figures made in prehistoric Japan. Over time, 偶 developed additional meanings connected with things being paired or matched, and eventually acquired the meaning “by chance” or “unexpectedly.” So the modern idea of “chance” is actually the end of a very long linguistic journey.
Memory Trick
👤🎲 A person(亻) suddenly rolls a die and gets a completely unexpected result—that’s 偶!
Readings
Onyomi: グウ (guu)
Kunyomi: たまたま (tamatama)
Example Words
Example Sentence
駅で友達に偶然会いました。
えき で ともだち に ぐうぜん あいました。
eki de tomodachi ni guuzen aimashita
I met my friend at the station by chance.