Kanji 昔 once upon a time, antiquity, old times Related words 昔むかし 昔 is a general noun for 'old times' or 'long ago', while とっくの昔 is an emphatic expression meaning 'already long ago' or 'way back when'.
とっくに とっくに is an adverb meaning 'long ago' or 'already', used similarly but without the noun 昔 . とっくの昔 is more emphatic and often used as a noun phrase.
Written forms とっくの 昔むかし
Standard spelling; the kanji 昔 is normally used.
疾と っくの 昔むかし
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 疾 ; it is rarely used.
Etymology Derived from 疾っく (とっく ), an emphatic adverbial form meaning 'long ago', combined with 昔 (むかし , 'old times'). The exact historical derivation of とっく is uncertain, but it likely originated as a sound shift from an older form.
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