昨日きのう

also: さくじつ

き

の

う

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

noun, adverb

yesterday

Refers to the day before today. It can be used as a noun, as in 昨日の夜, or adverbially before a clause. きのう is the ordinary spoken reading; さくじつ is more formal.

昨日きのうは一いち日中にちじゅう雨あめだった。
It rained all day yesterday.
昨日きのう、友とも達だちに会あった。
I met a friend yesterday.

昨日きのうの会かい議ぎで新あたらしい方ほう針しんが決きまった。

A new policy was decided at yesterday's meeting.

Written forms

昨日Usage92%
- きのう
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
  Everyday reading of the standard kanji spelling. It is a special kanji reading.
- さくじつ
  More formal or written reading of the same kanji spelling, common in news, business, and polite reporting.
きのうUsage8%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Practical kana spelling for the everyday reading, often used when a softer or less formal style is desired.
さくじつ

Kanji

昨yesterday, previous
日day, sun, Japan

Similar words

今日きょう
Means 'today'; it contrasts directly with 昨日, the day before today.
明日あした
Means 'tomorrow'; it is the day after today, while 昨日 is the day before today.
前ぜん日じつ
Means 'the previous day' relative to some event or date, not necessarily yesterday from the speaker's present.

Etymology

The kanji 昨日 literally mean 'previous day.' The reading さくじつ follows Sino-Japanese readings of the characters, while きのう is a special established reading for the same written word.