Onyomi: シャク, セキ · Kunyomi: むかし · Meanings: antiquity, old times, once upon a time
Kanji for antiquity, old times, once upon a time
Fast lookup with examples and clean stroke-order visualization.
Experience 昔 in 3D! View the complete 3D Kanji model to understand its shape and stroke depth from every angle. Click the button below to see 昔 in 3D and explore how each stroke forms this character.
Please support us by sharing!
The kanji 昔 is made from two parts: 日 (sun, day) and 廿 (twenty). Together, they show “many days” or “many suns” passing — a long time ago. In ancient writing, it was used to talk about old times or past events that happened long before now. The image is simple: many days stacked together become the past.
Made from 日(sun, day) and 廿(twenty). It shows many days passing — meaning long ago or in the past.
This kanji says: when many suns (日) have risen and set (廿), it becomes the past — 昔 means long ago.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 昔 | むかし | the old days, the past, former times, a long time ago | common JLPT-N4 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Adverb (fukushi) |
| 昔話 | むかしばなし | old tale, folk tale, legend | common Noun |
| 昔々 | むかしむかし | long ago, once upon a time | Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 昔日 | せきじつ | old days | Noun |
| 昔のまま | むかしのまま | the way it was, the way it used be, as of old, in former times | common Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 昔風 | むかしふう | old-fashioned, old-style | Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun |
| 昔蜻蛉 | むかしとんぼ | Epiophlebia superstes (species of living-fossil dragonfly endemic to Japan) | Noun |
| 昔蜥蜴 | むかしとかげ | tuatara (primitive lizardlike reptile endemic to New Zealand) | Noun |
| 昔語り | むかしがたり | old story, reminiscence | Noun |
| 昔懐かしい | むかしなつかしい | reminiscent of the good old times, nostalgia-inducing | I-adjective (keiyoushi) |