Japanese word

歴代

Pronunciation

Romajirekidai

Meaning

  • nounsuccessive emperors

Example

歴代の天皇がこの制度を受け継ぎました。reki dai no tennō ga ko no sei do o u ke tsu gi ma shi ta

Successive emperors inherited this system.

Illustration for 歴代 (successive emperors)

More examples

この博物館には歴代の校長の写真が飾られています。ko no haku butsu kan ni wa reki dai no kō chō no sha shin ga kaza ra re te i ma su

Photographs of successive principals are displayed in this museum.

Core concept

Presents people or periods as a continuous sequence across time, highlighting one after another rather than a single point in history.

Common phrases

  • 歴代の首相reki dai no shu shō

    successive prime ministers

  • 歴代の優勝者reki dai no yū shō sha

    successive champions

Similar words

代々daidai: People who held the same position in one generation after another.
累代ruidai: A line or succession continuing through several generations.
歴世rekisei: Generations or historical periods considered in continuous succession.

Definition in Japanese

同じ役職や立場に就いた人などを、時代の順に代々まとめて指す語。ona ji yaku shoku ya tachi ba ni tsu i ta hito na do o ji dai no jun ni dai dai ma to me te sa su go

Word origin

As a Sino-Japanese compound, 歴代 (rekidai) combines 歴 (reki, "sequence") and 代 (dai, "generation or reign").

Usage tips

  • In English, 歴代 (rekidai) often translates as "successive" before a title, while "historical" usually describes the past more generally.

Other meanings

  • successive generationsnoun

Word lists with this word