Meaning
昔 means long ago, the old days, or once upon a time. It points to a stretch of the distant past — beyond living memory — and carries a warm, nostalgic weight. In everyday Japanese, the reading most learners encounter first is むかし, which turns up in folk tales, historical narratives, and casual conversation alike.
Etymologically, 昔 is an ideographic compound. The lower component is 日 (sun, day), anchoring it to time. The upper portion resembles 廿 (twenty) and suggests a large quantity. The result: an image of many, many days piled up — so many they belong to a remote era. Some scholars read the upper element as dried meat preserved under the sun, reinforcing the idea of something aged and long past.
昔 has 8 strokes and appears on the Grade 3 Joyo kanji list — Japanese children encounter it in third-year elementary school. Its radical is 日 (sun/day), fitting for a character built around the passage of time. At N3, expect on'yomi forms in formal reading and むかし in everyday speech.
Culturally, 昔 runs deep. むかしむかし — "long, long ago" — opens virtually every Japanese folk tale, the direct equivalent of "once upon a time." If you've heard Japanese grandparents tell stories or watched classic anime, you've already met this character.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
昔 has two on'yomi: セキ (SEKI) and シャク (SHAKU). Both come from historical Chinese pronunciations and surface mainly in formal, literary, or classical compounds. You won't hear them in daily conversation, but they're essential for formal prose and set phrases.
セキ (SEKI) is the more common of the two. It appears in expressions with a formal or literary register:
- 昔日 (sekijitsu) — former days, days gone by; a formal written expression evoking the past with a sense of elegance or gravity
- 往昔 (ouseki) — ancient times, in days of old; a literary compound combining 往 (going, past) and 昔 to emphasize temporal distance
- 昔年 (sekinen) — former years, years of old; used in formal writing to refer to an earlier period of life or to history
シャク (SHAKU) is rare and archaic — it doesn't appear in modern everyday Japanese. You'll find it only in classical texts or specialized scholarship. For N3, simply knowing it exists is enough.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese reading
むかし (mukashi) is the kun'yomi, and the reading you'll encounter far more often. It's a native word with a warm, familiar feel — equally at home in storybooks and newspaper editorials.
- 昔 (mukashi) — long ago, in the old days; used as both an adverb and a noun
- 大昔 (oomukashi) — ancient times, the very distant past; 大 (great) amplifies the temporal distance
- 昔話 (mukashibanashi) — folk tale, old story; the most iconic compound, referring to traditional Japanese stories passed down through generations
Common Words & Compounds
昔 appears across a wide range of compounds. Here are the most useful, grouped by theme.
Expressions of time past:
- 昔 (mukashi) — long ago, in the old days
- 大昔 (oomukashi) — ancient times, ages and ages ago
- 昔日 (sekijitsu) — former days (formal/literary)
- 昔年 (sekinen) — former years, years gone by (formal)
- 往昔 (ouseki) — the distant past, in times of old (literary)
Contrasting past and present:
- 今昔 (konjaku) — then and now, past and present; appears in the set phrase 今昔の感 (konjaku no kan), used when something makes you feel how much things have changed
Stories, style, and character:
- 昔話 (mukashibanashi) — folk tale, traditional old story
- 昔風 (mukashifuu) — old-fashioned style, retro in manner
- 昔気質 (mukashikatagi) — old-fashioned spirit, traditional values; describes someone who holds firmly to the ways of the past
People and relationships:
- 昔なじみ (mukashinajimi) — old friend; someone from the distant past who has stayed close
Example Sentences
昔、この村には大きな木があった。
Mukashi, kono mura ni wa ookina ki ga atta.
Long ago, there was a large tree in this village.
昔むかし、あるところにおじいさんとおばあさんがいました。
Mukashi mukashi, aru tokoro ni ojiisan to obaasan ga imashita.
Once upon a time, in a certain place, there lived an old man and an old woman.
昔の写真を見ると、懐かしい気持ちになる。
Mukashi no shashin wo miru to, natsukashii kimochi ni naru.
When I look at old photos, I feel nostalgic.
彼女は昔からの友達です。
Kanojo wa mukashi kara no tomodachi desu.
She's a friend from way back.
大昔、この土地は海だったそうだ。
Oomukashi, kono tochi wa umi datta sou da.
Apparently, in ancient times, this land was the sea.
子供のころ、祖母が昔話を聞かせてくれた。
Kodomo no koro, sobo ga mukashibanashi wo kikasete kureta.
When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me folk tales.
昔に比べて、生活がずいぶん変わった。
Mukashi ni kurabete, seikatsu ga zuibun kawatta.
Compared to the old days, life has changed quite a lot.
今昔の感がある。
Konjaku no kan ga aru.
There's a real sense of how much has changed.
祖父は昔気質の職人で、妥協しない人だった。
Sofu wa mukashikatagi no shokunin de, dakyou shinai hito datta.
My grandfather was an old-fashioned craftsman — he never compromised.
昔はこのあたりに工場がたくさんあって、町はにぎやかだった。
Mukashi wa kono atari ni koujou ga takusan atte, machi wa nigiyaka datta.
In the old days, there were many factories around here and the town was lively.
Memory Tip
Start with the bottom half: 日, the sun. Now picture the top as a thick stack of dried bundles — old scrolls piled high above it. All those layers represent days upon days upon days accumulated until we're deep in the distant past. That's 昔.
Or take the simpler route: recall むかしむかし, the phrase that opens every Japanese folk tale. Picture a grandmother by a paper lantern, folding her hands, beginning her story. That image — warm and timeless — is 昔.