大昔(おおむかし)

おおむかし
noun
long ago, ancient times
time-general
1. long ago, ancient times, the distant past
Refers to a time very far in the past, much more distant than 昔 alone. Used both for actual historical/prehistoric times and colloquially for things that feel like a long time ago.
大昔(おおむかし)、ここは海(うみ)だった。
Long ago, this place was the sea.
そんなのは大昔(おおむかし)の話(はなし)だよ。
That's ancient history.
大昔(おおむかし)の人々(ひとびと)はどんな生活(せいかつ)をしていたのか、想像(そうぞう)するだけでワクワクする。
Just imagining what life was like for people in ancient times is exciting.

大昔(おおむかし) is an emphatic form of 昔(むかし), intensified by the prefix 大(おお).

Related words

  • 昔(むかし): a long time ago, the past
  • 大昔(おおむかし): a very long time ago, ancient times

Usage

Often used in storytelling and history contexts. In casual conversation, 大昔(おおむかし)の話(はなし) ("that's ancient history") dismisses something as no longer relevant.

Watch out: The fairy-tale opening "once upon a time" is むかしむかし (昔々(むかしむかし)), not 大昔(おおむかし).

Related Words

Related: 昔(むかし) (the past, old times)
Compare: 遠(とお)い昔(むかし) (long ago)
general
Added 2026.2.20 19:22 · Revised 2026.10.15 10:20
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