昔

• 読み: むかし
• ローマ字: mukashi
• 漢字の分解: 昔 (seki/mukashi) — old times, the past
• 発音: /mɯ.ka.ɕi/

意味

The old days; the past; long ago. Refers to a time considerably before the present.

A noun and adverb used for referring to the distant past. 昔々 (mukashi mukashi) is the classic fairy tale opening, equivalent to once upon a time. Can describe personal history (昔はよく泳いだ, I used to swim a lot) or historical periods. Contrasts with 最近 (recently) and 今 (now).

例文

1. 昔、この辺りは田んぼばかりだったそうです。
2. 昔の友達に偶然会って驚いた。
3. 祖母は昔の話をよくしてくれます。

使い方ガイド

場面: storytelling, memories, history

トーン: nostalgic

起源と歴史

The kanji 昔 combines 廿 (twenty) with 日 (day/sun). The original meaning suggests many days piled up — the accumulation of past days forming the distant past.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal