Japanese word

昨年

Pronunciation

Romajisakunen

Meaning

  • nounlast year

Example

昨年は毎日忙しかったです。saku nen wa mai nichi isoga shi ka tta de su

Last year, I was busy every day.

Illustration for 昨年 (last year)

More examples

私は昨年、京都へ行きました。watashi wa saku nen kyō to e i ki ma shi ta

I went to Kyoto last year.

Core concept

Marks the year that has ended most recently before the current year.

Common phrases

  • 昨年の夏saku nen no natsu

    last summer

  • 昨年の売上saku nen no uriage

    last year's sales

  • 昨年からsaku nen ka ra

    since last year

Similar words

去年kyonen: A common everyday term for the year immediately before the current year.

Definition in Japanese

今の年の一つ前に当たる年。ima no toshi no hito tsu mae ni a ta ru toshi

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese word 昨年 (sakunen, "last year") combines 昨 (saku, "previous") with 年 (nen, "year").

Usage tips

  • In simple conversation, 去年 (kyonen) usually sounds more natural than 昨年 (sakunen), which often appears in formal speech or writing.

Opposites

Word lists with this word