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How to say 'Ancient' or 'Antiquity' in Japanese | 古代

Wondering how to say 'Ancient' or 'Antiquity' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Ancient or Antiquity is 'Kodai', written as 古代 in Japanese.'Ancient' or 'Antiquity' in hiragana is こだい.

    word

    古代

    Meaning

    Ancient, Antiquity

    Reading

    こだい

    kodai

    Kanji

    古Old 代Substitute, Era

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '古代 (こだい)' refers to ancient times or antiquity. It is often used to describe historical periods, particularly those in the distant past, such as ancient civilizations or eras. This term is commonly used in historical, archaeological, or cultural contexts. For example: I am studying ancient history「私は古代史を勉強しています」(わたしはこだいしをべんきょうしています). This artifact is from antiquity「この遺物は古代のものです」(このいぶつはこだいのものです). The word can also be used metaphorically to describe something as being from a bygone era, such as 'ancient traditions' (古代の伝統, こだいのでんとう).

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    3

    Frequency

    2203

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 古代

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    古

    Meaning

    Old

  • kanji

    代

    Meaning

    Substitute, Era

Words Related to 古代 Through the Kanji 古

These 9 Words contain the Kanji 古 as well.

  • word

    古い

    Meaning

    Old

  • word

    古

    Meaning

    Old

  • word

    古典

    Meaning

    Classic

  • word

    古墳

    Meaning

    Tumulus

  • word

    稽古

    Meaning

    Practice

  • word

    古く

    Meaning

    Old

  • word

    中古

    Meaning

    Used, Secondhand

  • word

    古本

    Meaning

    Used book

  • word

    古里

    Meaning

    Hometown

Words Related to 古代 Through the Kanji 代

These 15 Words contain the Kanji 代 as well.

  • word

    時代

    Meaning

    Era

  • word

    代

    Meaning

    Generation

  • word

    現代

    Meaning

    Modern

  • word

    代表

    Meaning

    Representation, Delegate

  • word

    近代

    Meaning

    Modern

  • word

    代わり

    Meaning

    Substitute

  • word

    世代

    Meaning

    Generation

  • word

    代理

    Meaning

    Proxy

  • word

    代わる代わる

    Meaning

    Alternately

  • word

    代わる

    Meaning

    Change, Replace

  • word

    交代

    Meaning

    Alternation, Relief

  • word

    年代

    Meaning

    Era, Age

  • word

    代金

    Meaning

    Payment

  • word

    初代

    Meaning

    First generation

  • word

    代名詞

    Meaning

    Pronoun

Learn the Word 古代

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What does 'Kodai' (古代) mean?

'Kodai' means 'Ancient' or 'Antiquity' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.