紀き元げん

き

げ

ん

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

Refers to a historical era or the starting point of a calendar system, such as 紀元前 (BC) or 紀元後 (AD). Often used in historical contexts.

この遺い跡せきは紀き元げん前ぜん3世せい紀きの

もの

だ

。

These ruins date from the 3rd century BC.

キリスト紀き元げんは西せい洋ようの暦こよみの基き準じゅんである。

The Christian era is the basis of the Western calendar.

2

noun

Common Era; AD

Specifically denotes the Common Era (CE) or Anno Domini (AD). Used in expressions like 紀元前 (BC) and 紀元後 (AD).

紀き元げん前ぜん200年ねんと紀き元げん後ご200年ねんでは400年ねんの差さがある。
There is a 400-year difference between 200 BC and AD 200.

Usage patterns

紀き元げん前ぜん〈数かず〉年ねんthe year [number] BC
紀き元げん前ぜん3000年さんせんねんごろ、エジプトで文ぶん明めいが始はじまった。
Around 3000 BC, civilization began in Egypt.
紀元を画すきげんをかくするto mark a new epoch, to be epoch-making
この発はっ見けんは科か学がくの歴れき史しに紀き元げんを画かくすものとなった。
This discovery came to mark a new epoch in the history of science.
新あたらしい紀き元げんを開ひらくto usher in a new era
インターネットの普ふ及きゅうは新あたらしい紀き元げんを開ひらいた。
The spread of the internet ushered in a new era.

Kanji

紀chronicle, account, narrative
元beginning, former time, origin

Related words

西せい暦れきN2sense 2
西暦 specifically means the Western (Gregorian) calendar year, while 紀元 refers more broadly to an era or the starting point from which years are counted.
時じ代だいN4sense 1
時代 is the general word for a historical period or age, while 紀元 specifically denotes the starting point or era marker of a calendar system.

Don't confuse with

元げん号ごうN1sense 1
元号 is the name given to a Japanese imperial era (like Reiwa), whereas 紀元 refers to the epoch or starting point from which years are counted (as in BC/AD).

Word family

紀き元げん前ぜん
BC; BCE; before the Common Era
新しん紀き元げん
new era; new epoch
紀き元げん後ご
post-era; after the epoch
一いっ新しん紀き元げん
new era; new age

Etymology

From Chinese 紀元 (jìyuán), meaning 'era' or 'epoch'. The characters 紀 (chronicle, record) and 元 (origin, beginning) combine to convey the idea of a recorded starting point of an era.

仏ぶつ滅めつ紀き元げん

Buddhist calendar; Buddhist era