現代(げんだい)

現代(げんだい) means the current era or contemporary period. It can function as a noun or as a prefix modifying other nouns.

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

• 現代(げんだい)的(てき): modern, contemporary (na-adjective)
• 現代(げんだい)人(じん): modern person
• 現代(げんだい)社会(しゃかい): modern society
• 現代(げんだい)文学(ぶんがく): contemporary literature
• 現代(げんだい)語(ご): modern language

JAPANESE HISTORICAL PERIODS:

• 古代(こだい): ancient times (before ~1185)
• 中世(ちゅうせい): medieval period (~1185-1603)
• 近世(きんせい): early modern period (~1603-1868)
• 近代(きんだい): modern era (~1868-1945)
• 現代(げんだい): contemporary era (1945-present)

Note that both 近代(きんだい) and 現代(げんだい) translate as "modern" in English, but in Japanese historical usage they refer to different periods. 近代(きんだい) covers the Meiji through early Showa periods, while 現代(げんだい) refers to the postwar era onward.