Omikuji (御御籤, 御神籤, or おみくじ) are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot",
these are usually received by making a small offering (generally a
five-yen coin as it is considered good luck) and randomly choosing one
from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. (As of 2011 coin-slot machines sometimes dispense omikuji.)
The omikuji is scrolled up or folded, and unrolling the piece of
paper reveals the fortune written on it. It includes a general blessing
which can be any one of the following:
- Great blessing (dai-kichi, 大吉)
- Middle blessing (chū-kichi, 中吉)
- Small blessing (shō-kichi, 小吉)
- Blessing (kichi, 吉)
- Half-blessing (han-kichi, 半吉)
- Future blessing (sue-kichi, 末吉)
- Future small blessing (sue-shō-kichi, 末小吉)
- Curse (kyō, 凶)
- Small curse (shō-kyō, 小凶)
- Half-curse (han-kyō, 半凶)
- Future curse (sue-kyō, 末凶)
- Great curse (dai-kyō, 大凶)
It then lists fortunes regarding specific aspects of one's life, which may include any number of the following among other possible combinations:
- 方角 (hogaku) - auspicious/inauspicious directions (see feng shui)
- 願事 (negaigoto) – one's wish or desire
- 待人 (machibito) – a person being waited for
- 失せ物 (usemono) – lost article(s)
- 旅立ち (tabidachi) – travel
- 商い (akinai) – business dealings
- 學問 (gakumon) – studies or learning
- 相場 (souba) – market speculation
- 爭事 (arasoigoto) – disputes
- 戀愛 (renai) – romantic relationships
- 転居 (tenkyo) – moving or changing residence
- 出產 (shussan) – childbirth or pregnancy
- 病気 (byōki) – illness
- 縁談 (endan) – marriage proposal or engagement
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