去年

• Pinyin: qù nián
• Hanzi breakdown: 去 = departure/past; 年 = originally a pictograph of a person carrying grain, symbolising a harvest cycle (one year)

Meaning

Last year. A time word referring to the year before the current one.

A fixed time word placed before the verb in a sentence. Part of the sequence: 前年 (the year before last) → 去年 (last year) → 今年 (this year) → 明年 (next year) → 后年 (the year after next).

Examples

1. 去年我去了中国。 I went to China last year.
2. 他去年开始学中文。 He started learning Chinese last year.
3. 去年冬天很冷。 Last winter was very cold.

Usage Guide

Context: time, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 去年夏天我去了上海。(Last summer I went to Shanghai.)
• 她去年毕业了。(She graduated last year.)

Don't Say

• 在去年。(Don't add 在 before 去年 — time words are used directly: 去年我去了...)

Origin & History

A compound of 去 (gone/past) and 年 (year), literally 'the gone year' or 'the year that has passed.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal