once upon a time, antiquity, old times
On'yomi (音読み)
- セキ
- シャク
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- むかし
About this kanji
The kanji 昔 means "once upon a time" or refers to ancient times. It primarily acts as a noun, often connected to stories or memories of the past. You might encounter it in compounds like 昔話 (むかしばなし), which means "old tale," and 一昔 (ひとむかし), meaning "an age ago." Another common phrase is 大昔 (おおむかし), translating to "ancient times." It's a great kanji to express nostalgia or recount history. Keep in mind that while 昔 evokes the past, it's often used in storytelling, connecting listeners to an earlier time.
Example sentences
昔、彼は冒険者だった。
In the past, he was an adventurer.
Meanings across languages
- English
- once upon a time, antiquity, old times
- Tiếng Việt
- ngày xưa
- 日本語
- 昔
- 한국어
- 옛날
- 中文
- 昔日
- id
- dahulu kala
- th
- กาลครั้งหนึ่ง
- es
- érase una vez
- fr
- il était une fois
- de
- es war einmal
- pt
- era uma vez
Common compounds
- 一昔ひとむかしan age (ago), a long time (ago), a decade (ago)
- 昔話むかしばなしold tale, folk tale, legend
- 昔のままむかしのままthe way it was, the way it used be, as of old
- 大昔おおむかしancient times, prehistoric times, the distant past
- 今昔こんじゃくpast and present
- 昔風むかしふうold-fashioned, old-style
- 往昔おうせきancient times
- 古昔こせきancient times
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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