Japanese word

とっくに

Pronunciation

Romajitokkuni

Meaning

  • adverblong ago

Example

彼はとっくに家を出ました。kare wa to kku ni ie o de ma shi ta

He left home long ago.

Illustration for とっくに (long ago)

More examples

締め切りはとっくに過ぎています。shi me ki ri wa to kku ni su gi te i ma su

The deadline passed long ago.

Core concept

Shows that something has been completed or has become true considerably earlier than the point of comparison.

Common phrases

  • とっくに終わっているto kku ni o wa tte i ru

    have been over for a long time

  • とっくに知っているto kku ni shi tte i ru

    have known for a long time

Similar words

とうにtōni: Marks an event or change as completed well before the relevant time.
もうmō: Marks an event or change as completed by the relevant time.
早くもhayakumo: Shows that something has happened earlier than expected or at an early stage.

Definition in Japanese

予想される時期や現在の時点よりもずっと前に、すでに物事が済んでいるさま。yo sō sa re ru ji ki ya gen zai no ji ten yo ri mo zu tto mae ni su de ni mono goto ga su n de i ru sa ma

Word origin

とっくに (tokkuni) comes from とくに (tokuni), with とく (toku) meaning "early" and に (ni) marking the adverbial phrase.

Usage tips

  • English already can cover many situations, but とっくに (tokkuni) specifically adds the sense that the event happened long ago or earlier than expected.

Other meanings

  • alreadyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word