What's a nice way to express any of the following -
"Let's keep our fingers crossed"
"I'll keep my fingers crossed!"
(We / I) (are / am) keeping (our / my ) fingers crossed"
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You probably better if you are looking for the figurative or literal meaning of it since the figurative meaning does not exist here.– oldergodCommented Sep 9, 2013 at 7:41
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1Not sure why you got downvoted, but I'd agree with oldergod, you might tend to say something like うまくいきますように！to show that you hope it goes well.– NcatCommented Sep 9, 2013 at 9:13
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@b-wilson Possibly because "This question does not show any research effort" (part of the text shown when you move your mouse cursor over the down arrow). Maybe this could be a starting point: eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=fingers+crossed– user1478Commented Sep 9, 2013 at 9:39
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-1 Because there's no explanation of what the idiom means in English, some people might not know what the idiom means.– rurouniwallaceCommented Sep 10, 2013 at 16:26
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@Ataraxia: This is a Japanese/English site for not an English as a foreign language site. Stack exchange also has an EFL-type site where anybody not knowing the idiom can ask. (Actually if such readers can use this site then they are also probably quite able to google the expression.)– TimCommented Sep 12, 2013 at 12:47
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3 Answers
Of course not all cultures cross fingers when wishing for something. As far as I know crossed fingers don't signify anything in Japan.
The phrase "fingers crossed" would probably expressed using うまくいく "to go well", e.g.
うまくいきますように
うまくいくといい(ね)
where the former is more formal and the second more conversational.
answered Sep 9, 2013 at 9:55
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1is correct - it has no meaning in Japan. It comes, by way of explanation, from making "the sign of the cross" - a Christian sign (yes, there are Christians in Japan, but no so many as to influence the culture)– jmadsenCommented Sep 9, 2013 at 11:09
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1@jmadsen Another theory is that it comes from pre-Christian superstition, but I don't think anyone knows for sure.– user1478Commented Sep 9, 2013 at 20:58
As the other comments say, there is not really a literal translation but you can get a some mileage using the verb "to pray", 祈る。 The exact form will vary depending on context but following would work:
Let's hope so. |そう祈ろう。
Let's keep our fingers crossed. |みんなで幸運を祈りましょう。
My apple dictionary gives the following, which may help composing a longer sentence:
keep ［have］ one's fingers crossed|
（人さし指の上に中指を交差させて）願いがかなうことを祈る；
（…になるよう）願う, 祈る｟that節｠.
Not so strong in Japanese yet, but wouldn't simple 頑張って （がんばって） do, in this case?
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"fingers crossed" suggests hoping for a streak of good luck. 頑張って is usually said to someone else as way of encouragement to do his/her best, which doesn't have anything to do with luck. But I agree that in a free translation "fingers crossed!" could be translated as "頑張ってね".– Earthliŋ ♦Commented Mar 7, 2015 at 14:47