Hello, everyone. This is “MANA, the cat” from MANABICATION.

I am MANA.

This is our first English article in FUN ENGLISH blog!

So, is everyone enjoying the FIFA World Cup? These days, MANA stays up late to watch the matches. She seems sleepy…

The Japanese national team will be playing against the Senegal national team tonight. We (including “MANA, the cat”) can’t wait to see the match! Therefore, in the Japanese article, we introduced the phrase “Good luck!” to cheer on the Japanese national team.

This phrase is very different from the Japanese wording: “Ganbatte! (頑張って！)” as “Ganbatte!” means “Hang in there!” or “Do your best!” whereas “Good luck!” suggests that “You have done your best up to this point. So, let the result be set by God.” “Good luck!” gives a sense of relief and makes you feel relaxed to deal with anything at all.

Also, “Good luck!” is very useful because it can be said when the situation depends on luck (such as winning a lottery) or in a situation when you really need help with an ability, such as in exams or sports matches. “Ganbatte!” cannot be used for the former.

Since “Good luck!” can be used widely, English learners don’t have to think much when it is appropriate to say this phrase, meaning they can say and share this nice word with ease : )

So once again…, Good Luck, team Japan! (and all the other teams as well!)