Usage patterns 昭しょう 和わ 〈 数かず 〉 年ねん the ...th year of the Shōwa era
Shōwa 64 is the year 1989.
昭しょう 和わ な 〈 物もの 〉 something with a Shōwa-era, old-fashioned feel
This restaurant has a Shōwa-era, nostalgic atmosphere.
昭しょう 和わ っぽい 〈 物もの 〉 something that looks or feels distinctly Shōwa-era
That signboard has a very Shōwa-era design.
Kanji 和 harmony, Japanese style, peace Related words 昭和 (used adjectivally as 昭和な /昭和っぽい ) describes a nostalgic feel specifically tied to the Shōwa era, whereas レトロ is a broader loanword for 'retro' or 'vintage' that isn't limited to any one period.
昭 is the abbreviated prefix attached directly to a year number (e.g. 昭 55年 ), while 昭和 is the full era name used to refer to the era itself.
昭和 is the full name of the era, while Ｓ is the abbreviation used before a year number (e.g. Ｓ60).
Don't confuse with 昭和 refers to the era from 1926–1989, while 平成 is the following era (1989–2019), and learners often mix up which imperial year numbers belong to which.
昭和 (1926–1989) is the era right after 大正 (1912–1926), and learners often confuse which came first.
令和 refers to the present era starting in 2019, whereas 昭和 was a much earlier era (1926–1989) that learners sometimes confuse with more recent ones.
Word family history of the Shōwa period (1926-1989)
Showa single-digit generation; born in the first nine years of Showa (1926-1934)
the flourishing mid-Shōwa period (1960s–early 1970s) of peace, rapid economic growth, and easy living
Shōwa period (1926-1989)
Shōwa retro; Shōwa-era style; Shōwa-nostalgic
Written forms 昭しょう 和わ Usage 100%
Standard kanji form for the era name and its derived adjective use.
㍼しょうわ
Search-only single-character abbreviation; not used in normal writing.
Etymology The era name 昭和 was adopted in 1926 from a passage in the Chinese classic 書経 (Book of Documents), meaning 'bright peace' or 'enlightened harmony'.
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