Yakudoshi Checker (厄年チェック)
Check your yakudoshi (unlucky years) based on Japanese tradition.
Overview
Yakudoshi (厄年) are ages that Japanese tradition regards as carrying heightened misfortune. The principal calamity years (本厄) fall at 25, 42 and 61 for men and at 19, 33 and 37 for women, reckoned in traditional counting age rather than completed years. The year before is maeyaku (前厄) and the year after atoyaku (後厄), so each principal year sits inside a three-year period of caution.
Not a Yakudoshi Year
This year is not a yakudoshi year.
Your Yakudoshi Years (あなたの厄年一覧)
| Type | 前厄 Pre | 本厄 Main | 後厄 Post |
|---|---|---|---|
Ages shown in 数え年 (counting age) = Western age + 1
About Yakudoshi (厄年について)
- Yakudoshi are years of calamity or bad luck in Japanese tradition
- Men: ages 25, 42, 61 (counting age). 42 is 大厄 (great calamity)
- Women: ages 19, 33, 37, 61 (counting age). 33 is 大厄 (great calamity)
- Each main year has a 前厄 (pre-calamity, year before) and 後厄 (post-calamity, year after)
- Counting age (数え年) adds 1 to Western age (you are 1 at birth)
How to Use
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1
Enter your details
Provide the information the Yakudoshi Checker (厄年チェック) needs, such as birth year or gender.
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2
Review the results
The checker highlights the relevant years and values for your situation.
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3
Use the reference
Consult the reference table to see past and upcoming results at a glance.
About
The most consequential ages are 42 for men and 33 for women, described as taiyaku (大厄). Both are the subject of wordplay that reinforced the belief: 42 reads as shi-ni, homophone for death, and 33 as san-zan, meaning calamitous. The ages also align with life stages historically associated with health and career transition.
Observance persists through yakubarai purification rites at shrines, usually performed early in the year, and the calendar remains widely consulted when scheduling weddings, house moves and business launches.