とっくに

と

っ

く

に

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

adverb

long ago; a long time ago; already

usually written using kana alone

Emphasizes that something happened or was completed much earlier than the current moment, often with a nuance of 'already done' or 'long since'. Common in spoken and written Japanese.

彼かれはとっくに帰かえりました。
He went home a long time ago.
その問もん題だいはとっくに解かい決けつしている。
That problem has already been solved.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

とっくに〈動どう詞し〉ているto have already done ~ long ago (and the state still holds)
宿しゅく題だいはとっくに終おわっている。
I finished my homework long ago.
とっくに〈事こと〉を知しっているto have known something for a long time already
そのことはとっくに知しっていた。
I already knew about that a long time ago.
とっくに〈時とき〉を過すぎているto be well past a certain time already
締しめ切きりはとっくに過すぎている。
The deadline has long since passed.

Kanji

疾rapidly

Related words

もうN5
もう simply means 'already' and is neutral about how long ago, while とっくに adds emphasis that it happened well before now.
ずっと前まえに
ずっと前に literally states 'a long time ago' but is less emphatic about completion, whereas とっくに stresses that the action is already finished and its result still holds.
既すでにN3
既に is a more formal, neutral word for 'already', while とっくに is more colloquial and adds a stronger sense of 'long since'.
もはやN2
とっくに is a colloquial way to say something happened long ago, while 最早 emphasizes that a critical stage has now been reached, not how long ago it happened.

Don't confuse with

とっさにN1
とっさに means 'instantly, on the spur of the moment', which is nearly the opposite timing nuance from とっくに ('long ago, well before now'), despite the similar sound.

Etymology

Derived from 疾く (とく, 'quickly') with gemination and the particle に, yielding an adverbial form meaning 'already long ago'. The exact historical development is uncertain.