Kyonen vs. Sakunen: which should we use to say “last year” in Japanese?

How to say “last year” in Japanese

Native speakers say “kyonen” or “sakunen” to mean ‘last year’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know these two words as they are sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand these two words more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kyonen”
• Kyonen in kanji
  • Example #1: how to use “kyonen”
• Definition and meaning of “sakunen”
• Sakunen in kanji
  • Example #2: how to use “sakunen”
• Kyonen vs. Sakunen: which to use
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kyonen”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kyonen”.

• kyonen – 去年 (きょねん) : a noun meaning ‘last year’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, this is a noun. In Japanese, however, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. “Kyonen” is one of them. So, it can work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence to say “last year” in Japanese. Perhaps, this fact would sound a bit weird to Japanese learners, but is not unique to the Japanese language. In English, for example, “tomorrow”, can work both a noun and an adverb. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this point, I think.

The meaning of “kyonen” is very simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kyonen in kanji

The kanji expression of “kyonen” consists of the following two characters:

• 去 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of leaving.
• 年 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘year’ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “kotoshi“, “rainen“, and “nenrei“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kyonen” literally means ‘leaving year’. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kyonen” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “kyonen” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to use “kyonen”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In this example, this works after “boku tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to say where “boku tachi” went last year.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “kyonen”. In the example, it works as an adverb. When we want to say “last year” in Japanese, it is a very good option.

Definition and meaning of “sakunen”

Next, let me explain the definition and meaning of “sakunen”.

• sakunen – 昨年 (さくねん) : a noun meaning ‘last year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Sakunen in kanji

The kanji expression of “sakunen” consists of the following two characters:

• 昨 : a kanji character often used before a time-related noun to add the meaning of ‘last’.
• 年 : the same as explained already. This kanji means ‘year’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “sakunen” literally means ‘last year’ in Japanese. So, it has the same structure as “last year” does in English. In most cases, however, native speakers say “kyonen” to mean ‘last year’ in Japanese, as “sakunen” can sound too polite. Only in very formal situations, it can sound natural. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to use “sakunen”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• taihen – 大変 (たいへん) : an adverb of degree meaning ‘much’, ‘very’, or such in Japanese.
• osewa ni narimashita – お世話になりました (おせわになりました) : a Japanese phrase for ‘thank you for everything you have done’, ‘thank you for what you have done’, ‘thank you for taking care of me’, or such.

This is a typical usage of “sakunen”. When we want to say “last year” politely in Japanese, this is a very good option.

Kyonen vs. Sakunen: which to use

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “kyonen” and “sakunen” in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Then, which should we use to say “last year” in Japanese? My answer is clear: when we just want to say “last year”, we can use “kyonen”; when we want to say it politely, we should pick “sakunen”. We need to be careful with their difference in politeness.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the two different ways to say “last year” in Japanese: “kyonen” and “sakunen”. And also, I’ve explained how they are different. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kyonen – 去年 (きょねん) : a noun meaning ‘last year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘leaving year’. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning. In most cases, we can use this to say “last year” in Japanese.
• sakunen – 昨年 (さくねん) : a noun meaning ‘last year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. The first kanji is often used before a time-related noun to add the meaning of ‘last’. So, these two kanji literally mean ‘last year’. This sounds more polite than “kyonen”. So, Japanese native speakers tend to use this in formal situations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.