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What is the Kanji for 'Old times'? | 昔

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Old times', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Old times' is 昔.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Old times

    Reading

    kunyomiむかし

    mukashi

    onyomiせき

    seki

    Parts

    Day, Sun Twenty (廿)

    Example Word

    昔: past. The Japanese noun '昔 (むかし)' refers to 'the past' or 'olden times'. It is used to describe a time long ago, often with a nostalgic or historical connotation. This word is commonly used in storytelling or when reminiscing about earlier days. For example: In the past, this town was very quiet「昔、この町はとても静かだった」(むかし、このまちはとてもしずかだった). Long ago, people used to travel by horse「昔、人々は馬で旅をした」(むかし、ひとびとはうまでたびをした). The word '昔' can also be used in expressions like '昔話 (むかしばなし)', which means 'old tale' or 'folktale'.

    Radical

    Stroke Count

    8

    JLPT

    N3

    Grade

    3

    Frequency

    501

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    kanji

    Meaning

    Day, Sun

    radical

    Meaning

    Twenty

    Radical Form Of

    廿

As Part Of Other Kanji

This kanji appears as part of 4 other kanji:

    kanji

    Meaning

    Borrow, Rent

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dispose, Set aside

    kanji

    Meaning

    Regret, Frugal

    kanji

    Meaning

    Confused, Mixed up

Words Using

This kanji is used in 1 word:

    word

    Meaning

    Past

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 61 kanji contain the part 日 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Early, Fast

    kanji

    Meaning

    Sound

    kanji

    Meaning

    White

    kanji

    Meaning

    Time, Hour

    kanji

    Meaning

    Weekday

    kanji

    Meaning

    Spring

    kanji

    Meaning

    Interval, Space

    kanji

    Meaning

    East

    kanji

    Meaning

    Star

    kanji

    Meaning

    Gate

    kanji

    Meaning

    Write

    kanji

    Meaning

    Clear

    kanji

    Meaning

    Bright

    kanji

    Meaning

    Electricity

    kanji

    Meaning

    Darkness

    kanji

    Meaning

    Evening, Nightfall

    kanji

    Meaning

    Hot

    kanji

    Meaning

    Someone

    kanji

    Meaning

    Warm

    kanji

    Meaning

    Reflect

    kanji

    Meaning

    Simple, Single

    kanji

    Meaning

    Yesterday, Previous

    kanji

    Meaning

    Report

    kanji

    Meaning

    Music, Bend

    kanji

    Meaning

    Universal, Widespread

    kanji

    Meaning

    Easy

    kanji

    Meaning

    Free time, Spare time

    kanji

    Meaning

    Decameron

    kanji

    Meaning

    Warm

    kanji

    Meaning

    Curriculum, Continuation

    kanji

    Meaning

    Thick, Kind

    kanji

    Meaning

    Shining

    kanji

    Meaning

    Scene

    kanji

    Meaning

    Hoist, Display, Hold up

    kanji

    Meaning

    Vague, Desert

    kanji

    Meaning

    Violent, Outburst

    kanji

    Meaning

    Livelihood

    kanji

    Meaning

    Rice plant

    kanji

    Meaning

    Cloudy

    kanji

    Meaning

    Ascend, Rise up

    kanji

    Meaning

    Thirst, Parched

    kanji

    Meaning

    Hoarse, Shout at

    kanji

    Meaning

    Purport, Delicious

    kanji

    Meaning

    Old, Past

    kanji

    Meaning

    Brown, Woollen kimono

    kanji

    Meaning

    Calendar, Almanac

    kanji

    Meaning

    A while, Temporarily

    kanji

    Meaning

    Fragrance

    kanji

    Meaning

    Risk

    kanji

    Meaning

    Crystal

    kanji

    Meaning

    Descendants, Insects

    kanji

    Meaning

    Right, Absolutely

    kanji

    Meaning

    Audience with the, Audience

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dawn

    kanji

    Meaning

    Turtle

    kanji

    Meaning

    Formerly

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dark, Foolish

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dark

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dark, Not clear

    kanji

    Meaning

    Effulgent

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dawn

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 2 kanji contain the part 龷 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Together

    kanji

    Meaning

    Unfold, Expand

Learn the Kanji

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 昔 mean?

昔 means 'Old times'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N3 exam.

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