*Engi ga ii* means that something feels like a good sign, while *engi ga warui* means that it feels like a bad sign.
This does not usually mean that Japanese people believe the future is certain to turn out a particular way. Most people know that the sign itself has no direct connection to what happens next. Even so, they may feel that things are somehow likely to go well, or that their luck has shifted slightly in a positive or negative direction.
That vague sense of a good or bad omen is what people often mean by *engi ga ii* or *engi ga warui*.
For example, even people who do not usually care much about superstition may prefer an auspicious date for a wedding, the opening of a new shop, or another important beginning. They may not truly believe that the date will decide the outcome. They simply feel that, if they have a choice, it is better to begin on a day that feels positive.
Many lucky objects also come from wordplay.
*Tai*, or sea bream, is associated with *medetai*, meaning auspicious or celebratory, so it is often served on special occasions. Owls are sometimes considered lucky because *fukurō* can be playfully connected with *fu-kurō*, meaning “no hardship.”
Few people seriously believe that such wordplay has supernatural power. Even so, the positive meaning is enjoyed and accepted, and these symbols remain part of real customs and celebrations.
The opposite also happens. The number four can be pronounced *shi*, like the word for death, and nine can be pronounced *ku*, like the word for suffering. For that reason, people may avoid them in important situations.
This does not mean that most people believe using those numbers will definitely bring misfortune. The feeling is closer to this: “I do not really care, but there is no reason to choose it on purpose.”
There is also a slightly complicated social side to this. People may avoid something unlucky while still insisting that they are not superstitious. They do not want others to think they take old beliefs too seriously. So they may say they do not care, even though their actions show that they care a little.
If someone chooses a wedding date considered unlucky, such as *butsumetsu*, other people usually do not assume the marriage will fail. They may simply think, “They probably do not care about that,” or “Maybe the venue was cheaper that day.” Auspiciousness is usually something people apply to their own choices, not something they strongly impose on others.
Even when something bad happens later, people do not usually say that an earlier unlucky sign directly caused it. At most, they may think, “Now that I remember, there was something slightly unlucky at the beginning.” The connection is usually weak and retrospective, not a serious belief in cause and effect.
So *engi ga ii* and *engi ga warui* are not really statements that predict the future.
The feeling is more like this:
“I know it probably has nothing to do with the result. Still, perhaps it affects things a little. No, that cannot be true. But perhaps just a little. Since I have time and another option, maybe I will avoid it this time.”
People do not fully believe, but they do not completely dismiss it either. That movement back and forth between disbelief and belief is very close to how many Japanese people actually feel about *engi*.