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昨年 (さくねん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

昨さく年ねん

さ

く

ね

ん

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

formal or literary

Formal or literary equivalent of 去年 (きょねん). Common in news, reports, and written language.

昨さく年ねんの売うり上あげは過か去

こ

最さい

高こう

だっ

た

。

Last year's sales were the highest ever.

昨さく年ねん、この町まちに引ひっ越こしてきました。

I moved to this town last year.

Usage patterns

昨さく年ねんに比くらべてcompared to last year
昨さく年ねんに比くらべて、今こん年ねんの売うり上あげは大おおきく伸のびた。
Compared to last year, sales have grown significantly this year.
昨さく年ねんから〈動どう詞し〉have been doing ~ since last year
彼かれは昨さく年ねんからこの会かい社しゃで働はたらいている。
He has been working at this company since last year.
昨さく年ねん〈数かず〉月がつin [month] of last year
昨さく年ねん12月がつに新あたらしい家いえに引ひっ越こした。
We moved to a new house in December of last year.

Kanji

昨yesterday, previous
年year, counter for years

Related words

前ぜん年ねんN1
前年 means 'the year before' a specified reference point and is used relatively, whereas 昨年 always means 'last year' relative to now.
昨さく秋しゅう
昨年 means 'last year' broadly, while 昨秋 narrows the reference specifically to last autumn.
昨さく年ねん度ど
昨年 is the formal calendar-year equivalent of 去年, while 昨年度 specifically denotes the previous fiscal or academic year rather than a calendar year.

Opposites

来らい年ねんN5
来年 means 'next year', the direct opposite in time of 昨年 'last year'.
明みょう年ねんN1
昨年 means 'last year' and is the formal counterpart to 明年 ('next year'), both used in written or official contexts.
本ほん年ねんN2
昨年 means 'last year' and is the formal counterpart to 本年, referring to the year before instead of the current one.

Politeness

去きょ年ねんplainN5
去年 is the everyday, casual word for 'last year', while 昨年 is the more formal or written equivalent used in news and reports.

Don't confuse with

昨さっ今こん
昨年 means 'last year' while 昨今 means 'these days'; the shared 昨 kanji can mislead learners into mixing up the two time frames.
昨さく春しゅん
昨年 means 'last year' as a whole, whereas 昨春 narrows the reference specifically to the spring season of that year.

Word family

昨さく年ねん度ど
last fiscal year; previous academic year
昨さく年ねん夏なつ
last summer; summer of last year
昨さく年ねん来らい
since last year

Etymology

Compound of 昨 (さく, 'previous') and 年 (ねん, 'year').