昔

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 昔、ここに大きな森がありました。▶ —
   Long ago, there was a great forest here.
2. 昔話を聞かせてください。▶ —
   Please tell me an old tale.

Collocations

Mnemonic

昔 mukashi — long ago, a time-distance far beyond 最近, from years to many decades away. "Mukashi mukashi aru tokoro ni" — the set opening line that swings the door of a Japanese folk tale, sharing one code with Korea's "yet-nal yet-jeok-e" and English "Once upon a time." 大昔 is a very far antiquity; ひと昔 is one generation, a decade or so back. The kanji 昔 is 廿 (twenty) and 日 — the picture of many days stacked into the past.

Quick check

1. Standard opener of a Japanese folk tale?

   • "Mukashi mukashi aru tokoro ni..." — Once upon a time...
   • "Ima, koko de..." — Now, here...
   • "Shourai wa..." — In the future...
   • "Korekara..." — From now on...