Japanese word

去年

Pronunciation

Romajikyonen

Meaning

  • nounlast year

Example

去年は東京に住んでいました。kyo nen wa tō kyō ni su n de i ma shi ta

Last year, I lived in Tokyo.

Illustration for 去年 (last year)

More examples

去年の冬にスキーを始めました。kyo nen no fuyu ni su kī o haji me ma shi ta

Last winter, I started skiing.

Core concept

The word places an event in the calendar year immediately before the present year.

Common phrases

  • 去年の夏kyo nen no natsu

    last summer

Similar words

昨年sakunen: A formal term for the calendar year immediately before the present year.

Definition in Japanese

現在の年の一つ前の年。gen zai no toshi no hito tsu mae no toshi

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 去年 (kyonen) combines 去 (kyo, "past") and 年 (nen, "year"), giving the sense of the year that has passed.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 去年 (kyonen) often appears at the beginning of a sentence with は (wa) to set the time before the main event.

Opposites

Word lists with this word