Japanese word

元年

Pronunciation

Romajigannen

Meaning

  • nounfirst year of an era

Example

令和元年に東京へ行きました。rei wa gan nen ni tō kyō e i ki ma shi ta

I went to Tokyo in the first year of the Reiwa era.

Illustration for 元年 (first year of an era)

More examples

明治元年は、1868年です。mei ji gan nen wa 1868 nen de su

The first year of the Meiji era was 1868.

Core concept

Marks the first calendar year of an era, focusing on the era's starting point rather than on the number one alone.

Common phrases

  • 元年を迎えるgan nen o muka e ru

    enter the first year of an era

  • 元年に当たるgan nen ni a ta ru

    fall in the first year of an era

Definition in Japanese

ある元号が始まった最初の年。a ru gen gō ga haji ma tta sai sho no toshi

Word origin

元年 (gannen) combines 元 (gan, "beginning") and 年 (nen, "year") to mean the beginning year of an era.

Usage tips

  • In modern Japanese, 元年 (gannen) often appears in dates such as 令和元年 (Reiwa gannen), where English usually says "the first year of Reiwa."

Word lists with this word