三年(さんねん)

三年(さんねん) can mean either 'three years' (duration) or 'third year' (position in a sequence, e.g., school year).

COMMON PATTERNS:

• 三年(さんねん)前(まえ) (three years ago)
• 三年(さんねん)後(ご) (three years later)
• 三年(さんねん)間(かん) (for three years — with 間(かん) to emphasize duration)
• 三年(さんねん)目(め) (the third year — ordinal)
• 三年生(さんねんせい) (third-year student)

YEAR COUNTING:
Years use 年(ねん): 一年(いちねん), 二年(にねん), 三年(さんねん), 四年(よねん) (note: 四(よ), not し).

CULTURAL NOTE:
石(いし)の上(うえ)にも三年(さんねん) is a proverb meaning 'perseverance prevails' (literally 'three years on a stone'). Three years is a culturally significant timeframe in Japan — often the expected period to give something a fair try.